A Simple Mission
by Berzerkerprime
Summary: SECOND CHAPTER UP! A year after the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan and Anakin are still settling into their roles as Master and Padawan. Meanwhile, the Jedi Council sends them, along with another Master-Padawan pair, on a seemingly routine mission.
1. Student, Teacher, Lesson, Force

A Simple Mission   
By Berzerker_prime 

Summary: A year after the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan and Anakin are still settling into their roles as Master and Padawan. Meanwhile, the Jedi Council sends them, along with another Master-Padawan pair, on a seemingly routine mission.   


Chapter One:   
Student, Teacher, Lesson, Force

**AN**: ALERT!!! The first chapter is somewhat comedic, extremely WAFFy, and defies the tone that I plan for the rest of the chapters. Please take note; this is going to turn very dark shortly after this chapter is done. – Berz. 

*********   


Slowly, slowly, the tiny, delicate looking metal rod descended into place near the top of the structure. Still concentrating on the Force holding up the other thirty-three in their places, Obi-Wan Kenobi allowed himself no luxury of contemplating how close to the end of the exercise he was.   
There were two more resting on the table next to the structure. Using the Force as his hand, the seemingly meditating Jedi Knight lifted the next to last rod and manipulated it into place.   
As a Padawan, he had observed his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, perform the concentration exercise on numerous occasions. Obi-Wan, however, had never been able to complete the exercise and bring the structure to stability. He remembered having watched Qui-Gon do it effortlessly even at times when other, weaker minds would have been focused on the affairs of the day. Qui-Gon had even performed it on a certain Nubian ship traveling to Naboo, once, just before…   
Singing a barely perceptible chime, the structure wavered and Obi-Wan carefully reigned in his thoughts. There was nothing but the structure, the free floating rod, and the Force keeping its hold on both. The structure stopped its shift and the second to last rod slid into place.   
Calmly, Obi-Wan lifted the final rod off the table with the Force and maneuvered it around to its required orientation. He was just bringing it to its place in the structure, only inches away from finally completing it and fighting down his excitement at doing so, when there was a massive thump somewhere behind him followed by several smaller, bouncing ones.   
"Ow!" Exclaimed a young voice behind him at the exact moment Obi-Wan's eyes flew open and the delicate structure of metal rods clattered to the table, ringing out their song induced by gravity.   
Sighing in dismay, Obi-Wan grimaced and regarded the fallen pieces of metal, shoulders slumping in defeat, once again.   
"Oops," mumbled that young voice behind him, "sorry, Master."   
"Pay it no mind, Anakin," Obi-Wan commanded, with a practiced neutrality in his voice. He spun around and regarded his young Padawan.   
Anakin was just recovering his proper right-side-up orientation to the room and began collecting the three balls that had gotten away from him in his own concentration exercise. He was also rubbing a considerable, growing lump on the top of his head.   
"Are you all right, Padawan?" Obi-Wan inquired.   
Anakin nodded his sandy blond head and straightened out his Jedi tunic. "I just lost my balance."   
"Physically? Or in the Force?"   
"Physically," the young one said, defensively. Obi-Wan gave him a skeptical look. "Both," Anakin corrected himself, "I was thinking about Master Qui-Gon for some reason."   
Obi-Wan chastised himself mentally for allowing his own thoughts to have wandered while Anakin was doing his exercises. The boy's heightened sense of awareness through the Force exercise must have been casting about and latched on to what he, himself, had been thinking about.   
"Well, that makes two of us, then," Obi-Wan stated.   
Anakin sighed a frustrated sigh and fingered one of the balls he had been levitating. "I did it again, didn't I?"   
"Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin," Obi-Wan coached, "know your own from those of others. Your observation skills can serve you well in certain situations, but you must learn to turn them off, as well."   
"Yes, sir."   
"You lasted longer this time. You're improving. Exercises over for now. Go on and get ready for your lessons with Master Windu or you'll be late."   
Anakin hopped up from the floor and went back to the fresher to get cleaned up. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, collected the Padawan's errant orbs and deposited them in their nearby box. Then, he returned to the table he had been building the metal structure at and once again regarded the tiny rods. Letting the Force flow through him again, he lifted a few of them and tried once again to put them in a stable structure. This time, he only got to seven before they fell once again.   
A slight headache forming behind his eyes, the Jedi decided to call it a day with the exercise and shuffled the pile of rods into a small box sitting on the table next to them.   
"I'm going now, Master Obi-Wan!" Anakin called from the front door to their quarters.   
"Anakin, remember to keep your mind on your task," he barely got out before he heard the door slam shut after his Padawan.   
Feeling frustration welling up and threatening to overflow, Obi-Wan decided that it was time to get back to basics. Since nothing was more basic than nothing, meditation was the option open to him. 

Obi-Wan could hardly believe it was true, but Anakin was almost an hour late for mealtime. Since a search of the classrooms had turned out to be fruitless, the Jedi Knight was now searching the vast main basilica of the Jedi Temple from his vantage point on the west gallery, one story above the main floor. Reaching out with the Force and searching for the training bond he had formed with Anakin, he attempted to zero in on him and met with only minor success.   
Moving south, Obi-Wan caught sight of a small form heading his way. Once she was close enough to identify by sight, he recognized her as the green-skinned young Padawan of Knight Belia and a classmate of Anakin's.   
"Pheria," he called to the girl, stopping her in her tracks.   
"Yes, sir, Master Kenobi?" she responded.   
"Have you seen Anakin?"   
"I think he's with some of the others in the gardens, sir."   
"Thank you, Pheria. Please give your regards to your Master for me."   
"I will, Master Kenobi." Pheria then bounded off in the direction she had previously been traveling, leaving Obi-Wan to follow this new lead.   
Once back on the ground floor of the basilica, he again reached out with the Force in an effort to find his young apprentice. He felt a minor, momentary pang of excitement through the bond and went in its direction, wondering just what situation Anakin had gotten into this time. Concentrating on the bond, he tried to surmise what Anakin's situation was, but found considerable casting about for possibilities clouding the connection.   
Finally, Obi-Wan spotted Anakin coming in from the garden and carefully closing the gate behind him.   
"You guys wait here," he instructed to someone else out beyond Obi-Wan's view, "I'll go and get him." The boy turned around with the intention of rushing off somewhere with a gleeful look in his eyes and practically ran right into Obi-Wan.   
"Here you are," Obi-Wan exclaimed, "I've been looking all over for you, Padawan. What are you up to?"   
"Just playing with my friends, Master," Anakin responded, somewhat elusively, "we had something that we wanted to show to Byan, so I was just going to go and get him."   
"Really?" Obi-Wan inquired, searching the training bond. All he found was excitement. "What in the Living Force is so interesting that it made you, of all little black holes, late for dinner?" Ruffling the boy's hair and moving past, Obi-Wan went to the gate that Anakin had just come in with a fair amount of curiosity flowing through him.   
"No! Master, wait!" Anakin exclaimed just as Obi-Wan opened the gate and went through.   
Suddenly, from above, a great mass of wetness fell on Obi-Wan, covering his head and shoulders and flowing down most of the way to his waist and splashing to the ground below his feet. The Jedi stood there for a moment, letting whatever the stuff was drip. Once it had vacated his face enough so that he could open his eyes, he found himself covered in some unidentifiable green stuff.   
"Surpri…" the gleeful cry of the three young Padawans who were already in the garden bled off to an uncertain horror when they found who it was who had ultimately been the victim of their little booby trap.   
Anakin cautiously approached from behind. "I… tried to warn you…"   
Obi-Wan stood in the doorway dripping for several silent moments, letting his obvious annoyance show through. "I don't suppose any of you are going to explain?"   
The four young ones all shifted uncomfortably.   
"Well?" Obi-Wan pressed.   
"Well, Master Kenobi, sir," one of Anakin's friends finally ventured, "Byan's been having trouble sensing coming trouble."   
"And we were going to try and help him sharpen his skills," Anakin explained.   
Obi-Wan blinked, still dripping. "By dropping a bucket of slime on him?"   
The four Padawans all shifted uncomfortably again, looking to each other for mutual support.   
"We thought… anyone else… would be able to sense it," one of them stated, pouring on the innocence.   
Once again, Obi-Wan blinked, letting the green stuff continue to splat against the brick patio he was standing on. In an effort to cover up how foolish he felt, he turned his annoyed look into a serious scowl.   
"All of you will clean this up," he commanded, "and then, you will all sit here for an hour and meditate on nothing but unforeseen consequences of your actions."   
"Yes, sir, Master Kenobi," all four of the young ones acknowledged in unison.   
"And consider how Byan would have felt if he had been the victim of this prank."   
"We will, Master," Anakin answered for them.   
"Anakin, meet me in the north chapel afterward."   
"Yes, sir."   
With a final sigh and a shake of his arms to finish off his dripping, Obi-Wan exited the garden and went in search of the nearest fresher. On the way, he passed a rather confused looking Mace Windu.   
"Obi-Wan, what in the name of-"   
"Respects, Master Windu," Obi-Wan bit out on his way past, not even breaking stride, "but please… don't ask."   
As Obi-Wan continued on his way, Mace was left with a perplexed look on his face. However, upon noticing the four young Padawans in the garden, beginning to clean green stuff off the brick patio, he put two and two together.   
A slight smile tugged on the corners of the Council member's mouth in amusement. He very nearly laughed out loud right then and there, but held back, not wanting to encourage the youngsters to pull pranks on other Knights who might react less patiently than Obi-Wan. 

Standing in the middle of the small north chapel, staring up at the rose window in the apse there, Obi-Wan wore a deeply perplexed look. Arms akimbo, fingers tucked into his belt, tunic still stained green, he contemplated his young apprentice.   
After a year, they still hadn't managed to meaningfully connect and Anakin's instruction was beginning to slow because of it. If not for his amazing talents, he would have fallen behind the others of his age in skill. As it was, Anakin still had considerable lessons in discipline to catch up on.   
Training the boy was quite the monumental task for a newly knighted Jedi. Most Jedi waited a few years before taking on even the most disciplined of Padawans.   
Not for the first time since his train of thought began, Obi-Wan's mind wandered back to that awful day on Naboo. His mind replayed that battle with the mysterious Sith Lord. Just thinking about it, his legs began to ache as if having actually run that horrible expanse ten seconds ago.   
Just another foot. If he had just made it another foot, he would have been beyond that last laser barrier and everything… _everything_ would have been different.   
"A noble color, green is," a voice said from the chapel entrance, bringing Obi-Wan out of his thoughts. The Knight turned to it and found Yoda slowly hovering down the center of the room in his hover chair. "However, look good on you, Knight Obi-Wan, it does not." The diminutive, green Master of Jedi Masters allowed himself an amused chuckle.   
"Please forgive my appearance, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan greeted him, bowing his head, respectfully.   
"Your Padawan's handiwork, do I sense, Jedi Kenobi?"   
"Oh, he had help this time, Master."   
Yoda nodded, letting out two hums of understanding. "Clouded your senses, they must have. Or see the prank coming, you would have, hmm?"   
Obi-Wan sighed and turned his attention back to the rose window above them in the apse of the chapel. "Not… entirely, Master."   
"Much frustration, I sense," stated Yoda, settling into a more serious tone, "what troubles you?"   
"Master Yoda, I'm finding it hard to… connect to my Padawan. Even after a year, our bond is still very weak and hard to read. Sometimes, it's even hard to find at all. It's beginning to slow Anakin's progress. And, I have to admit, it's beginning to distract me."   
"Hmm. Distracted by the task of forming your bond with young Skywalker, you are," Yoda said, understanding.   
"I have to concentrate on the bond so intently that I lose track of the Force around me. It's… debilitating. And extremely frustrating."   
"Obi-Wan, finished with your learning, thought you? Being Master and being Padawan, two different things, they are. Learn the ways of the teacher, you must."   
"I understand that, Master. But what of the bond? Is there no way I can connect with Anakin?"   
"Different for each pair, a bond between master and apprentice is. Find it on your own, you two must."   
Obi-Wan sighed. "And if a bond was not meant to be? Master, what if this task was meant to have fallen to Qui-Gon?"   
In a surprising move, Yoda brandished his gnarled wood glimmer stick and whacked Obi-Wan upside the head with it. "Self-doubt, you must not dwell on, young Obi-Wan," he said, forcefully, "pondering past failures and their consequences, no where will it get you. Counterproductive, it is." Yoda shook his head. "Advise you further in this matter, I cannot. Either a time when you and young Skywalker connect or not, there will be. Fix the problem for you, I cannot."   
Rubbing the spot on his head where Yoda's glimmer stick had connected, Obi-Wan looked down at the floor for nothing more than to avoid the Master's gaze. "I understand, Master Yoda."   
"Meanwhile, a mission for you, the Council has," Yoda continued, changing the subject.   
Obi-Wan's head snapped up and he regarded the Master with trepidation. "A mission? Now?"   
"Easy. Routine. Paired with Knight Keerina and her Padawan, you shall be. Famine on Algerog, there is. Assistance with planning food distribution and storage, they require. Depart tomorrow, the four of you shall. Details on the mission, I will have sent to you before the evening is out."   
"Perhaps a trip will do Anakin good," Obi-Wan agreed, "and it sounds like something even the two of us can handle with Keerina's help."   
"Of your Padawan's restlessness, be mindful," Yoda counseled, "lest further troubles, he cause."   
"I will, Master Yoda. Thank you for your guidance." 

Anakin approached the north chapel with more than a little trepidation. As he entered the vast, empty room, dimly lit with the orange light of the Courascant sunset, he swallowed nervously.   
Obi-Wan was there, of course, waiting for him near the front of the chapel, kneeling on the floor in a meditative crouch. As silently as he could, not sure if he should interrupt his master, Anakin approached and sat down a few meters behind Obi-Wan. It was several moments before the Knight sighed a heavy sigh, indicating to Anakin that he was aware of the young Padawan's presence.   
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said calmly, turning to his left and facing toward the side of the chapel, "come here."   
Obediently and fighting down the forming lump in his throat, Anakin did so, plopping down opposite Obi-Wan.   
"Are you mad at me?" he asked, carefully.   
Obi-Wan sighed again, an obvious attempt to keep his emotions in check. "No," he said at last, "not any more. But I am disappointed."   
"So was I," Anakin blurted out, defensively, "I didn't mean to make Byan feel bad. I thought we were really trying to help him."   
"Tell me what happened."   
"Well, Byan told us he was having trouble, so the others suggested we help him by seeing if he could sense a booby trap. But, then, after it accidentally fell on you, Marpha, Gelgoog, and Salu-Kor told me that it really was a prank and that I was too gullible if I believed it wasn't."   
"And how did that make you feel?"   
"Well, I know they weren't trying to be mean, Master, but… I'm still kinda mad at them."   
"Anger is not allowed a Jedi, Padawan."   
"I know. And I tried to make it go away when we were meditating, but I just couldn't do it."   
Obi-Wan nodded his understanding and scooted closer to Anakin, motioning for the boy to turn around. He put both his hands on either of the Padawan's small shoulders and closed his eyes meditatively, seeking out the elusive training bond. "Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and find your center," he instructed.   
As Anakin did as he was told, Obi-Wan continued to cast about for the training bond. Through the Force, he felt only faint, passing glimmers of it. Realizing he was tensing up with the effort and that that tension was manifesting itself in the form of his clenching hands, he abandoned the task so as not to transfer that tension to Anakin. Instead, he brought himself out of his meditative state, forced himself to relax, and observed his Padawan's body language.   
"Good," Obi-Wan said reassuringly once he was certain Anakin was sufficiently relaxed, "now, picture your thoughts and emotions as an orb, floating in front of you. Then, step back from it and let it fade into nothing." Beneath his hands, Obi-Wan felt Anakin's shoulders tighten with the effort and the boy's face twisted slightly. "You're too tense. You're trying too hard, Anakin. Add that tension to the ball. Then step away." Gradually, Anakin's shoulders loosened and he sighed contentedly. "Good. Where is your anger now?"   
"It's gone, Master."   
"Very good," stated Obi-Wan, "remember, you can do this exercise whenever you need to. Just excuse yourself, find a quiet place, and do it."   
Anakin squirmed out of Obi-Wan's hands and turned back around to face the Knight. "But, what if it's during a battle?"   
Obi-Wan sighed and nodded. "That takes further practice, believe me. All I can tell you is that when you're in a battle, you must never, ever, let the Force guide your hand to kill, directly. Not in anger."   
"But… what about Naboo? Didn't you use the Force to kill that Sith?"   
Obi-Wan paused, not having expected that question from the boy. He was observant, that was sure. "No," he said at length, "but I came very, very close. Which is why a Jedi must always be mindful of his thoughts and emotions. You must always know what you are feeling so you can act accordingly."   
Anakin nodded his understanding.   
"I assume we've learned our lesson about booby traps, then?"   
"Yes, sir."   
"Lecture over," Obi-Wan stated, getting to his feet. Anakin did likewise. "Now, you and I have something very important to attend to. The Council has decided to send us on a mission tomorrow. And every Jedi that goes on a mission needs one thing."   
Anakin perked up, a grin a mile wide brightening his face as he bounced along next to Obi-Wan on their way out of the chapel. "A lightsaber?"   
The Knight ruffled his Padawan's hair and nodded down to him, smiling his own smile. "It's time you had one of your own instead of one of Master Yoda's training sabers."   
Anakin's gleeful cheer echoed through the main basilica as they exited, clearly heard by the two figures standing on the gallery above them. Leaning on his glimmer stick, neatly balanced on the marble railing, Yoda observed the young Master-Padawan pair. Standing on the floor next to him, Mace Windu did likewise.   
"Very unorthodox, young Kenobi's teaching methods are," Yoda stated, evenly.   
"That may be," Mace agreed, "but Obi-Wan's connected with the boy even better than he knows. He may be on to something."   
Yoda nodded. "Yet, the training bond, they still lack. Heavily it weighs on Obi-Wan, his promise to Qui-Gon to train young Skywalker. A hindrance, that is."   
"You don't suppose we allowed him to take a Padawan Learner too quickly, do you?"   
"Possible it is," Yoda admitted, "but with the loss of Qui-Gon, no one else would the boy accept." 

Early the next morning, Obi-Wan hurried through his breakfast and left Anakin in the mess hall conversing with his friends as he finished. Since they were to leave shortly for a famine-plagued planet, he wanted to make sure the boy got his fill and he wanted to make sure he was able to patch up his relationship with his friends after the incident the night before.   
Meantime, Obi-Wan sought out Knight Keerina, having decided it was high time he checked in with her before they departed for Algerog. He found her in the practice rooms, observing four students practice their skill with the lightsaber.   
Even taking into account that she wasn't Human, Keerina was noticeably older than Obi-Wan. In the back of her tri-horned head, long locks of grey hair tumbled down her arched back, around her pointed ears, and over her shoulders, starkly offsetting her dark brown skin. Her three-fingered hands were clasped behind her back in a gesture of observance and her serpentine tail gently swayed behind her. She stood on two animal-like legs with three toes, shoeless but for the bindings from her pointed knees to her ankles. Her concentrating, cat-like eyes kept close watch on the four students who were, for the moment, under her tutelage. All in all, she stood no more than four feet tall.   
Obi-Wan approached and prepared to make his presence known, but Keerina beat him to it.   
"Jedi Kenobi," she said, without taking her eyes off the Padawans, "a pleasure, as always."   
Obi-Wan shook his head in amazement as he approached; even for a Jedi, Keerina seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. He stood next to her and bowed respectfully. She did likewise.   
"Greetings, Master Keerina," he said.   
"You have my apologies for not offering my condolences on the death of Qui-Gon and my congratulations on your knighthood. My Padawan keeps me… quite busy."   
Obi-Wan nodded in amused understanding. "That I can understand. I came about the mission to Algerog. We are to be paired as a foursome?"   
"So I hear. Quite the easy mission for four Jedi, don't you think?"   
"I was curious about that. I was wondering if you knew anything about Algerog that would warrant sending all four of us."   
"I do not. Perhaps the Council is not telling us the whole story."   
Obi-Wan looked down at Keerina incredulously. "Would the Council really withhold information from us?"   
Keerina chuckled. "No, no, not on purpose. But I remember hearing about a certain mission to Naboo that turned out to be so much more than what it appeared. And, I understand that when Supreme Chancellor Palpatine requested assistance from the Council he specifically requested you for the mission."   
"The Supreme Chancellor did?"   
"It appears he has great faith in your abilities."   
"Glad to know someone does," Obi-Wan mumbled under his breath, then cleared his throat, "our transport will be ready within the hour. It will reach the capitol city of Quitzagrin by the end of the day."   
"Very good. It will give us a chance to catch up on the way. I'm curious to know how you're getting on with your Padawan." She turned to the group of practicing students and clapped her hands twice. "All right, that's enough for today," she called out, "we'll be ending early. Master Shiris will be continuing your lessons for the week as Tila-Shen and I shall be otherwise occupied off world. You are dismissed."   
The four students deactivated their lightsabers, bowed to their sparring partners, and bowed to Keerina, then three of them silently filed out of the room leaving the lone female of the group behind.   
The young lady, a Human who looked to be no more than eighteen years old, approached Obi-Wan and Keerina. Besides the standard Padawan braid over her right shoulder, her mouse-brown hair was neatly tied up into a pony tail with a strap of leather and as she came up to them, her blue eyes danced with a touch of excitement.   
"You're improving, Tila-Shen," Keerina stated, "but you still have to learn to guard low. Remember, in a real battle, your legs are prime targets."   
"Yes, Master, I'll remember that," she responded as Keerina turned back to Obi-Wan.   
"Master Kenobi, this is my Padawan Learner, Tila-Shen Razeek," the older knight stated, motioning from one to the other and initiating a mutual bow between them.   
"An honor to meet you, Master Kenobi," Tila-Shen greeted, clipping what appeared to be two lightsabers to her belt.   
Obi-Wan took note. "Two lightsabers?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.   
"Oh, no," Tila-Shen stated, handing Obi-Wan the shorter of the two, "one is a dagger."   
Obi-Wan switched it on and it lit a green blade no more than ten inches in length. The blade felt somewhat awkward in his hand; its handle was noticeably shorter.   
"My Padawan has the bad habit of getting her left hand in the way of her opponent's weapon," Keerina explained, "so we decided to turn that weakness into a strength."   
"You could say I carry a lightsaber and a half," Tila-Shen added.   
Obi-Wan deactivated the lightdagger and handed it back to the Padawan. "Always refreshing to see a unique style," he told her, "I would hope we have no need for our weapons on this mission, but I'd very much like to observe one of your sparring matches, some day."   
"You would be most welcome, Master Kenobi."   
"I'm certain Tila-Shen wouldn't mind some input from one who defeated a Sith," Keerina appended.   
Obi-Wan blinked and shifted somewhat uncomfortably. It never failed; ever since Naboo, almost any time he was introduced to someone by another Jedi, it was as the Sith-killer. It always served as a reminder of the emotions of the past year he worked so hard to keep in check. He was getting quite practiced at hiding his discomfort, though, and Keerina and Tila-Shen didn't seem to notice at all.   
"Well, I should go and collect my Padawan so we can get under way," Obi-Wan stated, "I imagine even Anakin's eaten his fill by now."   
"Ah, yes," Keerina laughed as all three of them began to wander out of the room, "the black hole stomachs of the young. If only I could still eat like that. I swear, some of you young ones could digest a droid if you swallowed it whole." 

Finally giving in to the shiver that made its presence known along his spine, Anakin pulled his brown cloak in tighter and shoved himself further into the cushions of his seat. Briefly, he wondered what it was about transport captains that made them refuse to turn the heat up. If he looked at something dark, he could swear he saw his breath against it.   
Hours ago, he had tried to meditate to keep his mind off it, but every time he tried he was brought out of the state by still another shiver.   
From the aft compartment, just outside the door to the room of the ship Anakin was in, something made a thump against the wall. It was followed by two more in rapid succession, a slap, and then the cycle started again.   
Hopping out of his seat, Anakin followed the noise to the aft compartment. There, he found Tila-Shen outstretched on the floor, leaning against one wall, and throwing a rubber ball of one sort or another into the corner. It hit two walls and bounced back into her right hand. Over and over, she threw the ball into the corner, all the while wearing a very board expression.   
"This is the part I hate the most," she said, not breaking her rhythm, "sitting in a transport and waiting. There isn't even enough room to do anything."   
"Obi-Wan would say we should take this time to meditate and do thinking exercises," Anakin responded.   
Tila-Shen caught her ball in her hand and looked over at him. "You don't see him doing that, do you?" she pointed out. "That's a laugh. Obi-Wan Kenobi sitting on a ship and thinking. Doesn't seem much like him."   
"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, plopping down on the floor opposite her.   
"Let's just say I've heard stories. For a while, they were calling him 'The Padawan Terror.'"   
Anakin laughed. "But he listened to Qui-Gon all the time."   
Tila-Shen joined in his laugh. "From what I hear, that was the problem." 

The stars always made Obi-Wan gape in wonder. The lights of Courascant were too bright, the buildings too tall; even if one could have seen enough sky to encompass an entire constellation, the city lights would have drowned it out completely. So, whenever he found himself traveling in space, Obi-Wan always allowed himself a moment to enjoy a view out a window in the hull of the ship, simply for the view's own sake.   
This is what the Jedi Knight was doing now. He had picked a spot on the starboard side of the ship and watched as the distant points of light slowly drifted by from left to right. From time to time, his gaze shifted to his reflection in the glass; it was more perplexed and anxious looking than he had ever seen it and for some reason, he couldn't get that out of his mind.   
"It seems our Padawans have banded together," Keerina's voice came to him from the end of the corridor and Obi-Wan turned to it. The older Knight was leaning against a wall, cloak pulled in around her.   
"Shall I sound the alarm, or do you want to?" Obi-Wan asked her, a hint of a laugh on his voice.   
Keerina responded in kind, wandering over to join him next to the window. "They're sending big enough waves of mischievousness through the Force, I'm sure the Council is already alerted to the situation." Her tone grew much more serious. "You, however, seem rather distraught. Might this have something to do with Anakin."   
Obi-Wan nodded and looked back out the window again. "Master Keerina-"   
"Just Keerina. We are both Knights now, after all."   
"Give me a while on that one. But, can I ask you something?"   
"Of course."   
"You've had two Padawan Learners before Tila-Shen. Is it always this hard to communicate with a student under your tutelage?"   
"Ah, so you're experiencing the age gap on the other side, now. Does this have anything to do with the fact that I saw Anakin and three others cleaning up something green in the gardens last night?"   
"Needless to say, I never envisioned taking Anakin to claim a lightsaber while covered in green slime. Anakin lacks any prior training. I'm not convinced he truly understands what it means to be a Jedi."   
Keerina poked him in the chest. "That, young one, is your job. The whole point of a master and student is to teach the younger anything about being a Jedi that he or she does not yet know or understand."   
"Yes but… how?"   
She shook her head and looked back up at him. "You keep searching for definite answers, Obi-Wan. The only definite thing is that there are no definite answers. I sense a great deal of strength in the Force emanating from Anakin. He has the ability to learn. And you have the ability to teach him. But doubt will get in the way, if you allow it to."   
Obi-Wan sighed and tucked his arms into the sleeves of his robe in thought. "Qui-Gon would have known what to do with the boy," he said, half to himself and half to Keerina.   
"I understand you and he disagreed about Anakin a year ago."   
The younger Knight nodded, bowing his head in remembrance. "Anakin is strong, but there is so much he has to work past. Until he gets past the fear he still has, he's dangerous. Qui-Gon told the Council he was going to teach him, anyway, and I sided with the Council."   
"And now that Qui-Gon has rejoined the Force, you have taken up his cause despite your reservations. He would be honored you thought so highly of him, you know."   
"Still, I find myself wishing…" 

"…that Qui-Gon was still here."   
Once again, Tila-Shen stopped bouncing her rubber ball and looked over at Anakin curiously. "Oh?" she asked. "Do I sense a disturbance in the Force?"   
"It's just… well, I'm not sure Obi-Wan likes me," Anakin responded.   
"What makes you say that?"   
"He just always seems so irritated. And I know he wasn't happy with Qui-Gon when he first brought me along with him from Tatooine. I heard them arguing about me, once."   
"Nah," Tila-Shen corrected, waiving it off, "it's your imagination. He cares about you, I can sense it."   
"He sure doesn't show it much."   
"I'll let you in on a little secret, Ani. It's a Master's job to…" 

"… be strict, at times," Keerina continued, "I know you were a Padawan yourself not that long ago, but it's time you left that behind. You're the Master now."   
"I understand that."   
"Up here, perhaps," she said, tapping her temple, "but not here." She pointed to her chest. "Qui-Gon taught you to be mindful of your thoughts, but I always felt his greatest mistake was not teaching you what to do with them."   
"I know what to do about it," Obi-Wan said, defensively, "if I'm having a problem, I need to find a way to fix it."   
"Sometimes it is enough simply to confront it."   
"But how can I do that until Anakin and I form the training…" 

"…bond that all the other Padawans are always talking about? Obi-Wan and I don't have it, yet. Or we just don't know how to use it."   
"No training bond yet, huh?" Tila-Shen asked. "Ouch, that's gotta be annoying."   
"What's it like?"   
"Well, sometimes it's like having one big spy looking over your shoulder and sometimes it's like having a constant lifeline. But the best thing about it is that you can instantly understand each other."   
"That would sure help a lot," Anakin stated, "because he sure doesn't…" 

"… understand me at all."   
"Have you tried understanding him?"   
"Of course I have, Keerina. But, I just can't seem to…" 

"… get him to say anything to me about anything besides lesson stuff. He's obsessed or something. He's always…" 

"… wanting to learn how to use the Force, how to be more powerful, how to…" 

"… be calm, centered, blah blah blah. He just doesn't…" 

"He simply does not…" 

"… understand me."   
  
"… understand me." 

Tila-Shen fingered the rubber ball in her hands for a moment. "Force! I thought Master Keerina and I had issues. You guys could open a side show at the Alderaan Circus!"   
"That isn't helping," Anakin pointed out, sourly.   
"Sorry, kiddo. I just figured that the legendary prankster, Jedi Kenobi, would still be so much a kid himself that he would be able to understand a kid right off. Don't worry about it. This mission is going to be such a bore, I'm sure you guys will have plenty of time to talk it over. In the meantime…" she got to her feet and tossed the rubber ball to Anakin. "Looks like you need that more than me, for now. I'm gonna go see how much longer they're gonna keep us sitting here in this tin can."   
The older Padawan exited the aft compartment, leaving Anakin alone with the rubber ball. It wasn't long before he started throwing it against the wall, himself; bouncing it three times, catching it, bouncing it three times, catching it. 

For one of those rare times, Keerina was at a loss. She could only conclude that Qui-Gon's crowning achievement had been teaching Obi-Wan how to be stubborn. "I've told you all I can," she said at length, "all I can tell you is that Qui-Gon was right; you shouldn't focus on your anxieties. Stop trying to do what others do and be a teacher in your own right."   
"I appreciate your input, Master Keerina," Obi-Wan responded, somewhat dourly.   
She put one three-fingered hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder as a gesture of comfort. "Perhaps this mission will do you and Anakin some good. There is only so much that can be done in the Temple, after all. In the meantime, I think I will go and see how far along we are. We should be arriving at Quitzagrin in a few hours."   
As Keerina departed, Obi-Wan went back to his gaze out the window, at the endless, uncertain sea of stars, and at the endless, uncertain look on his face. 

Keerina made it to the cockpit first and was there, waiting for Tila-Shen to enter when the Padawan did so only a few minutes later.   
"Looks like Master Windu was right about them, Master," she said as she entered, paying no heed to the pilot and copilot who she knew would be discreet, "the kid's stubborn as a gundark."   
"As is Master Kenobi," Keerina agreed, "Qui-Gon's legacy, no doubt. Tila-Shen, we will have to take on as much of the work on Algerog as we can. Obi-Wan and Anakin must be left with nothing to do other than to confront their problem. Are you prepared to be alert enough to intercept tasks that would otherwise go to them?"   
"Yes, Master, I am. But, maybe we should consider putting them in an escape capsule together and leaving them in orbit, instead."   
Keerina laughed. "You're too extreme, my Padawan."   
"Hey, if it works." 

The sensors of the Jedi transport ship were blind in one respect; they failed to see the tiny, black droid that had attached itself to the craft's underside. It left no strange signals, no odd side effects. Its only task was to know where it was and remain unseen to its host vessel and it did its job with great efficiency. Once the ship had entered orbit around the planet of Algerog, it silently disengaged its magnetic locks and set a course for the weak signal that was calling out to it from a particularly dark corner of the famine-ridden world.   
With no more than a vapor trail, it entered Algerog's atmosphere and set down in the middle of the nighttime desert in the western hemisphere. There to collect it was a dark figure, hooded in black, who left one long, unbroken trail in the sand as it floated toward the droid. The figure fiddled with the droid and loaded some information from its memory into a smaller handheld device. Reading the data there, the figure nodded, then activated another device that was being held in a four fingered hand. A small holo appeared, bearing the image of another dark figure whose face was half shrouded in his own cloak.   
"Report," the figure in the holo commanded.   
"Master Sidious," the whispered contralto replay came from under the hood of the figure's cloak, "they have arrived at Algerog, just as you said."   
"Good. Keep me informed of your progress. You know what to do. And remember, the boy is not to be harmed."   
"Yes, my Master. As you command." 

********* 

End Part One... 

Well, I hope I spelled Sidious right... somehow, it looks wrong. Can someone tell me? Please? ^^;   
Cya laters when I finish part two! In the meantime, please R/R! Fanfic authors love feedback!   



	2. Sparks

A Simple Mission   
By Berzerkerprime 

Summary: On the famine-plagued world of Algerog, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Keerina, and Tila-Shen investigate the cause of an explosion and get much more than they bargained for.

Chapter Two:   
Sparks

**AN:** ALERT!!! This chapter does not have the same tone as the last one. In fact, I ended up having to up the rating on the fic for some violence in it. The end of this chapter is NOT for the faint of heart.   
Thanks to everyone who reviewed and told me they wanted more. And a special thanks to Omega, who corrected my spelling of Coruscant. 

*********   


Anakin couldn't wait until he was taller. It was such a nuisance not to be able to see over the railing of the balcony he was standing on.   
Quitzagrin, Algerog's capitol city, was located on the edge of a massive, blue, salt lake. The palace of the Prime Minister overlooked the lake in a dazzling array of stucco vistas. The four Jedi had been given a pair of rooms that overlooked the courtyard and the lake beyond. A cool breeze was blowing, tingeing the air that tickled Anakin's nose with sea salt.   
Of course, the young Padawan couldn't enjoy the view; he couldn't see over the balcony railing.   
"Anakin," he heard Obi-Wan call from the inside, "come along, we've work to attend to."   
"Yes, sir," Anakin answered back, tearing himself away from his attempt to see the view.   
Obi-Wan had just opened the door to their quarters to admit Keerina, Tila-Shen, and two Algerogans. The beings native to Algerog were stout, pot-bellied, dog-eared bipeds of varying size, each with their own distinctly colored layer of fine fur. Of the two who had come to meet them, the elder's face was lined in shades of grey while the younger, shorter one practically blazed in shades of orange.   
"And this is my Padawan Learner, Anakin Skywalker," Obi-Wan told the two Algerogans as Anakin approached.   
"Hello," Anakin greeted only to be elbowed by Obi-Wan, "I mean, uh…" he corrected himself, bowing instead.   
The grey furred Algerogan threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Massa Jedi," he said, "you making your young ones grow up too fast, yah!"   
"Anakin is a new Padawan, Prime Minister" Keerina explained, "it is Master Kenobi's job to teach him the proper decorum of being a Jedi. Among other things."   
"_Issa, issa_!" the Prime Minister exclaimed. "I'll not barging in, den, yah." He motioned to his fire-furred companion. "Minister of Health, Food, and Drug; Kalicutt."   
"Grateful for your helping, Massa Jedi," Kalicutt answered.   
"How is the situation, Minister?" Obi-Wan asked as they all moved a few steps further into the room.   
"_Issa-naa_!" Kalicutt sighed heavily, shaking his head. "South continent losing all food sending der. We suspecting der is stealing."   
"Perhaps we can assist with arranging security," Keerina suggested.   
"_Issa_! Would be greatly appreciating," the Prime Minister agreed, "will setting up meeting with Minister of Defense."   
"Tila-Shen can handle those arrangements," stated Keerina.   
It was about then that Anakin's mind began wandering and he let the older folks take care of business. Thoughts thoroughly elsewhere, he began musing over the planet he found himself on. The people all seemed friendly enough; boring, but friendly. And there was nothing that seemed alarming about the place they were in.   
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him; he was finally starting to visit the stars he had so wanted to touch as a child. This was just one of those tiny, distant points of light he had gazed up at from Tatooine. He was finally doing it! It would be interesting to see how the stars looked from Algerog once night fell. Assuming, of course, that no one attacked them, first.   
Strange, where had that thought come from?   
Suddenly, Obi-Wan had scooped him up and was carrying him out the door to their quarters. In the flurry of action, Anakin noticed that Keerina and Tila-Shen had tackled the Algerogans, pushing them in the same direction.   
They had just crossed the threshold of the door when there was a bright flash and a very loud explosion, rocking the entire building and sending stucco and plaster flying. Smoke came next, stinging Anakin's lungs as he coughed.   
And then, silence as everything cleared.   
It was a few moments later when Anakin realized that Obi-Wan was above him on all fours, shaking his head to clear his hair and face of dust and coughing smoke out of his lungs.   
"Are you all right?" the Knight asked.   
"Uh huh," Anakin whimpered out.   
"Blast it!" Tila-Shen exclaimed, pushing aside a fallen wood beam as she unearthed both herself and Minister Kalicutt. "What the Sith was that?"   
"A very large explosion, my astute Padawan," Keerina stated, helping the Prime Minister to his feet, a hint of irritation in her voice.   
Obi-Wan had rushed to the edge of the blast area and stood perched on the rim of the jagged hole in the wall and floor. His eyes efficiently scanned the area below as members of the palace staff and the palace guard rushed around in a flurry of activity, putting out side fires and helping the few injured below. It was apparent that the room they had been in had been the target, since little else was damaged.   
Obi-Wan's eyes fixed on a figure near the walls of the courtyard, dressed head to toe in black. He was moving in the opposite direction of those working on the cleanup effort. The figure turned to look back up at him, locked eyes with the Jedi for a moment, then jumped into a nearby tree, climbed up it, and leaped over the nearest section of wall.   
"Anakin, stay with Keerina!" Obi-Wan barked out. Not waiting for a response, he then stepped off the edge of the floor, dropped to the balcony below, leaped that railing and landed in the courtyard. Dodging the Algerogans there, he ran over to the tree and disappeared over the wall in a single, efficient jump.   
"_Issa-naa_!" the Prime Minister spat out, calling Anakin's attention back to the group he had been left with. "Crusaders! Dey is messing everything, yah!"   
"The Crusaders, Minister?" Keerina inquired.   
"Rebels! Wanting to separating from Republic. Not understanding Algerog food predicament, _issa_!"   
Keerina sighed heavily, quite obviously not liking the sound of what she was hearing from the Algerogan. "Perhaps, Prime Minister, you should go into further detail."   
"Master, you've been hurt!" Tila-Shen exclaimed, moving closer to the older Knight. She touched her hand to a forming spot of white blood that was beginning to ooze out of Keerina's forehead. The master, too, touched a hand to it, cautiously.   
"It is nothing, Tila-Shen; a scratch, nothing more."   
"Why don't you let those of us who can see it be the judge of that," the Padawan shot back, then turned back to the Algerogans, "where is your healer?"   
"You worry too much, Padawan."   
"And that is precisely why you're still alive today, Master."   
The hair on the back of Anakin's neck suddenly stood up and he wasn't entirely certain why. As he observed the two lady Jedi, a shiver ran up his back and he found he couldn't take his eyes off of Tila-Shen. There was a sudden, short, sharp glimmer of…   
What? What was it, exactly? Anakin wasn't certain what he was sensing, what the Force was sending him. But somehow, he knew that whatever it was was screaming out for his attention.   
And just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.   
Keerina sighed. "All right, Padawan," she conceded, "if it will keep you quiet, I will see the healer. We should all be checked, anyway."   
"We should going this way," Kalicutt said, motioning in a direction, "healer is on main floor of palace."   
"Master Keerina?" Anakin inquired. "What about Obi-Wan? Shouldn't we go help him?"   
"Not to worry, little one," Keerina replied, "Master Kenobi is quite capable of taking care of himself. Now come along." The Knight proffered a hand to him, beckoning him onward.   
Anakin cast one last, uncertain glance in the direction Obi-Wan had gone and momentarily bit his lip, obvious worry flashing over his face. At length, he tore himself away from the gaping hole in the wall, took Keerina's hand, and followed the Algerogans with her. 

The chase thus far hadn't lasted long, but even still, it was obvious to Obi-Wan that a year of relative inactivity at the Temple hadn't done him much good. He wasn't unfit by any stretch of the imagination, but the run was already taking its toll on the muscles in his legs.   
From the palace, the chase had cut through only a small corner of the city. Chase and pursuer had torn through a crowded marketplace, pushing aside many an irate Algerogan in the process. After that, Obi-Wan found himself chasing down a beach of white sand further and further from the palace at the heart of Quitzagrin. The sun was beginning to sink low on the horizon in front of them and it was getting harder and harder for Obi-Wan to see the fleeing attacker with his eyes alone, so he let the Force light his path. It was a good thing he was concentrating so hard on it because he only barely managed to sense the threat of the attacker's laser weapon in time to deflect it with his lightsaber.   
The sun disappeared behind a cliff side as the two runners approached it. Still firing off blast after blast at the Jedi, the attacker fumbled with a second gun. He was pointing it into the air just as Obi-Wan got close enough to tackle him and what fell to the sand was what appeared to be an assent gun. Tearing the attacker away from the cliff, Obi-Wan threw him into the shallow waters a few yards away. The attacker scrambled around in the water in the brief moments before the Jedi followed him in, trying to get to deeper water where he might have a chance of swimming away.   
As Obi-Wan pulled the attacker back to within his effective fighting range by the ankle, it became obvious to the Jedi that he wasn't fighting an Algerogan. The fists that were thrown back at him were too hard, too rough. He couldn't make out what species he was, though, as there was simply too much water flying in all directions for him to see anything with his own eyes.   
Finally, Obi-Wan managed to pin the attacker in the shallow waters. As the figure in black struggled under him, Obi-Wan heard a desperate gurgle and allowed him to come up for air.   
"All right! All right!" he exclaimed from behind a black mask. "I give up! No bounty is worth messing with the Jedi, enough all ready."   
One firm hand on the figure's chest, Obi-Wan reached up and pulled back the mask to reveal a grey, lizard-like face. "You're a bounty hunter?"   
"Yeah, yeah, what's it to ya'."   
"Who hired you?"   
"Hey, look, I'm a business man. It's not good business to tell everyone who-"   
Obi-Wan dunked the bounty hunter under the water, holding him under for a moment and letting him gurgle before pulling him back up again. "It's also not good business to be drowned in a salt lake. Tell me who hired you."   
"Na-uh, no way. Jedi don't kill."   
Once again, Obi-Wan dunked the bounty hunter. "Well, I've got a bit of news for you; you're having a very unlucky day, my friend, because you're trying to tell that to the wrong Jedi."   
"You mean that you've-" was all the bounty hunter got out before Obi-Wan cut him off by shoving him under the water once more.   
"Believe it. Now, who hired you."   
"I dunno how they let you past the Jedi Council, you're a lunatic!"   
"Answer me!"   
"He used an alias, but I wouldn't be much of a bounty hunter if I didn't know who he was. Galagyula of Bellici, the former representative for the southern continent." 

"Wherever did you hearing that name?" Kalicutt asked of Obi-Wan some time later. Upon returning to the palace, he had rejoined the other three Jedi and the two Algerogan ministers in the infirmary. Keerina now sported a small bandage near her hairline and the healers were busily checking over their Prime Minister.   
"Our new friend down in holding volunteered it," Obi-Wan answered, "he mentioned something about the southern continent."   
Kalicutt shook his head in a gesture of obvious frustration, letting his floppy ears flap back and forth. "Terrorist. Galagyula leading separating movement. He talking like being a lunatic all the time, der."   
"How do you mean?" Keerina inquired.   
"_Issa_! He believing Republic is exploiting Algerog, mining the resources. Also, believing Jedi been infecting by something calling Sith. Everybody knowing that is impossible!"   
"That would explain why he tried to blow the place sky high," Tila-Shen put in, "he's obviously had the ability to do this for a while, or else some time would have passed after we got here before he attacked."   
"A sound observation, Padawan," Keerina agreed.   
"But what about the bounty hunter?" Anakin voiced. "Didn't you get the name really easily, Master?"   
"Hardly," Obi-Wan said, not without a hint of indignation, "it took some… persuading."   
"Is the Council gonna be mad at you, Master?"   
"What I'm _saying_ is that bounty hunters are all alike; concerned with their own self-interests and nothing more. Needless to say I made it much more… profitable for him to tell me the name. You would do well to-"   
"In any case," Keerina interrupted, sensing more than a little tension that needed to be diffused, "there is obviously a connection to the southern continent. And it could be related to the exaggerated food shortages there. I would say that a trip there is in order."   
"I agreeing," the Prime Minister put in, finally free of the healer who had been fussing over him the whole time, "will sending Kalicutt going along with you." He shook his head. "Crusaders. Irrational, extreme… I knowing not what to doing about them and still keeping democracy. Freedom of speech making blood boiling, sometimes." Muttering similar sentiments to himself, the Prime Minister departed.   
"Tila-Shen and I shall see to our travel arrangements," Keerina told Obi-Wan. The elder Jedi and her Padawan then departed as well, followed closely by Minister Kalicutt.   
"Massa Jedi," the healer spoke up for the first time since Obi-Wan had arrived, "is your turn, sirrah."   
"Me?" Obi-Wan asked. "Oh, I'm fine. Just need to wash up and my apprentice and I really should be going." He turned to lead the way out of the room…   
… only to find said apprentice standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and a rather irate look on his face.   
"Master…" Anakin said, "you're always saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."   
Obi-Wan blinked at the boy for several moments. "You haven't known me so long to know me so well."   
"I'm just observant," Anakin stated, defensively. 

_ Stars surrounded him as he floated in gravity-less space that pressed against him in its emptiness. One of the stars, in particular, seemed to stand out. It was near him, yet further away than all the others. It shined in the darkness, imbuing the area with clean, white light._   
_ Fading out of the darkness of the stars, a hand grasped the star and held it out in front of him._   
_ "Take it from me," an old, familiar voice commanded. He blinked once, and found that the rest of the form that belonged to the hand had faded into existence, the leonine features of his face looking down at him. "Take it from me, my Padawan," the figure commanded once again, still holding the star out to him._   
_ He reached for it, but his master pulled it away from him. He tried to grasp the star once again and again it was moved out of his reach._   
_ "You're not listening," his master told him, "_take_ it from me."_   
_ He tried again and failed once more. His master held the star closer to himself and shook his head._   
_ "Do not take it_ from_ me. Rather, you must _take_ it from me. Do you understand me?"_   
_ He felt it rather than said it. It drifted across his voice like a whisper among a crowd. "Why did you leave him to me?"_   
_ Somehow, his master looked sad, as if he wanted to say more but was somehow kept from it. Instead, he indicated the star in his hand. The moment he looked to it, its brilliance dulled and faded to darkness. His master then looked to his side, left or right, he couldn't say. In the distance, two bright stars faded from view._   
_ "You are a wiser man than I was. Mind the future. Mind the present. And for Force's sake, boy… wake up!"_

Obi-Wan's eyes were forced open due to a reflex he knew not where he had ever picked up. Somehow, it had always been there, ever since he was first a Padawan under Qui-Gon Jinn. It was a ripple from the Living Force, pushing its way into his consciousness and warning him of something that he had to pay attention to.   
Now awake and unable to deny it, the Knight looked around the small room. Since the attack, undamaged space in the Prime Minister's palace was at a premium, so the four Jedi had been placed in a single room, together. Keerina was laying on the couch across the room, snoring softly. Anakin was not far from Obi-Wan, curled up on top of a portable mattress and practically woven into a cozy looking blanket.   
A cool wind blew through the room and it was then that Obi-Wan became aware that the sliding double doors to the balcony were open, allowing the curtains at its sides to flap in the night breezes. Tila-Shen was standing on the balcony, cloak pulled in tightly around her, leaning on the rail and looking out over the salt lake in a manner that seemed very far away.   
Careful not to disturb his Padawan sleeping on the floor, Obi-Wan rolled out of his cot and wrapped himself up in his cloak. As quietly as he could, he wandered out to the balcony and approached Tila-Shen.   
"Sorry, Master Kenobi, I didn't mean to wake you," she said as he approached.   
Obi-Wan shook his head in disbelief; Tila-Shen had inherited Keerina's extra set of eyes. "A little late to be awake, don't you think?"   
"Master Jinn never snored, did he?"   
"No. Why?"   
"You haven't been woken up until you've been woken up by a snore transmitted through the Training Bond."   
"I did not know that was possible."   
"Master Keerina denies it of course."   
"Who wouldn't?"   
"Point."   
They both sighed in unison as Obi-Wan stepped up to the railing and leaned against it, mimicking Tila-Shen's pose.   
"So, if it's so late, why are you awake?" she asked him after several moments.   
"Oh, I don't really know," he responded, "supposed to be, I guess. The Force moved me."   
"Can I ask you something, Master Kenobi?"   
"Isn't that a question in and of itself?" Obi-Wan laughed and immediately regretted it as he noticed the Padawan's mood darken slightly. He cleared his throat apologetically. "What's on your mind?"   
"When your master died, the Training Bond you had with him had to have shattered completely. How did you deal with the grief without that support?"   
Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably and fixed his gaze on the lights on the other side of the lake. It was the last question he had expected to hear from her and the last thing he wanted to dwell on.   
Tila-Shen seemed to sense his tension and shook her head. "Never mind, forget I asked. It's… it's not really all that important."   
"Tila-Shen, is there something-"   
"No, no, just forget about it."   
"Well, you must have asked that question for a reason."   
She turned around and faced toward the inside of their room and sighed heavily. "I don't suppose anyone ever told you how I was found, did they. A dirty, starving, half-drowned little girl on a flooding planet where a massive volcano had erupted and the polar ice caps had suddenly melted, half crazed because of what she was sensing of her planet's turmoil through the Force-"   
"Parents having died right in front of her and unable to control what was happening to her. Master Mundi came across you and brought you to the temple, gave you some rudimentary thought controlling exercises and you only barely passed the test to become an initiate." By the time Obi-Wan had finished, Tila-Shen was looking at him with eyes big enough to fly a podracer through. "I make it a point to know who I'm working with," he explained.   
"Oh, you sure know how to take the fun outta dramatic moments."   
"It's a talent."   
"I'd like you to know you managed to derail a thoroughly profound statement on Jedi and Padawans that I was building up to."   
"That one's a skill."   
There was a substantial pause in the conversation. It was in that pause that Obi-Wan felt what it was that had pulled him there through the Force. A shiver ran up his spine as he sensed an all too familiar emotion emanating from Tila-Shen's direction; fear. Curiously and cautiously, he reached out with the Force and tried to touch it. But, as soon as he brushed against it, it had disappeared, burying itself in layer after layer of the Force.   
"Oh well," Tila-Shen finally sighed, stretching her hands into the air, "busy day tomorrow. I should go back to sleep." As though it were the most natural thing in the world for her to be doing, she wandered back inside. "Good night, Master Kenobi."   
As Tila-Shen shuffled around inside and finally settled back into her small sleeping space for the night, Obi-Wan turned his gaze back to the lake below. It was calm, not a ripple forming on the water's surface. In silent contemplation, he studied the stars reflected in it. 

Below the palace, where one would have thought there would be only solid ground and bedrock, there was a dark, stone room, moist with the cold drippings of water that condensed at such temperatures as one might find underground. There were several small rooms here, each with a door of metal bars and a window high on one wall, also blocked by bars. A very small amount of moonlight filtered in, casting an eerie blue glow to the stone room.   
The bounty hunter, Sillias Maht, sat in this darkened underground, waiting. He had been waiting for quite a while, now, far longer than he had anticipated. He wondered if his benefactor intended to go back on her agreement.   
That was the trouble with being a bounty hunter; it was so hard to trust those who employed you.   
Sillias occupied his time by tossing a small piece of stone that had chipped off the wall in his hand over and over. It had become a sort of a game; how many times could he toss it into the air before boredom made him fall asleep.   
But he couldn't sleep. He had to be ready to move. His benefactor would be along soon… he hoped.   
One last job. This was his last job. This benefactor would pay him enough to settle on some fringe planet where he could live out the rest of his life without putting it at risk any more. Perhaps he could even eke out a meager bit of happiness for himself, meet someone…   
His acute senses told him there was a figure outside his window, crouching low on the ground there and peering in at him. The very little light there was reflected off of two smooth, black orbs where eyes should have been, the rest of the figure's face was obscured by the hood of a black cloak.   
Sillias was on his feet in a moment, tossing aside the stone. "About time you got here. We had an agreement. I give them Galagyula's name, you get me out immediately. I've been rotting here for almost twelve hours."   
Something red flashed. And for just an instant, Sillias Maht saw the face of his benefactor.   
When the Algerogan guards returned in the morning, they found one, whole bounty hunter… some assembly required. 

"My people do not kill!"   
Galagyula was a surprisingly well-spoken Algerogan. There was hardly any hint of an accent in his Basic at all. Besides that, he was hardly the picture of a terrorist; dressed well enough, brown and black fur well kept, he was even fairly short by Algerogan standards.   
The four Jedi had found their suspect in an apartment in the thick of the city of Bellici, over a food store of some sort or another. The city itself was located in the middle of the southern continent, well away from most large bodies of water. It had a small river running through it which had recently dried to a pathetic creek, drying out the farmlands and the large forest on the city's outskirts. Bellici had, of late, suffered from a decline in its population, drought chasing away family after family and only worsening the food shortage in this normally fertile land. A few were determined to stick it out, though, and Galagyula was obviously one of them.   
And right now, he was pissed. However, he visibly reigned himself in. "Some of the more extreme who believe as I do may… blow up a weapons store from time to time, but I do not condone killing of any sort."   
"Then perhaps you can give us a reason why someone would want to put the blame for this attack on you," Obi-Wan stated, evenly.   
Galagyula gave him a rather dirty look. "Perhaps you should ask your Republican friend staying at the hotel down the road."   
Obi-Wan and Keerina gave each other simultaneous, brief looks of concern. Minister Kalicutt was, indeed, at said hotel. But they had taken steps to keep his location fairly well hidden. The fact that Galagyula knew where he was told them that he had numerous eyes, everywhere in the city. Bellici was, indeed, Galagyula's chosen ground and they had walked right on to it.   
"Jedi, fah!" He spat. "You all think we're so incompetent, that we can't survive without your precious Republic. You merrily go about the galaxy and do the biddings of your hopelessly corrupt Senate. Drought here, floods in the far north, diseased livestock in the east, all at once; this planet is dying. Where is the help from your precious Senate?"   
"But that's what we're here to do!" Anakin protested, pushing to the front of the group.   
Galagyula looked down at the boy with an angry eye. "Getting them young, I see," he hissed, "you call this help, little boy? All I see are four more mouths to feed."   
"But-" Anakin began again, but was silenced by Tila-Shen's hand on her shoulder. The older Padawan looked over to Keerina as if waiting for something.   
"Perhaps," Keerina said, waving her hands, nonchalantly, "cooler heads will prevail."   
"But maybe cooler heads will prevail, in this," Galagyula agreed, his entire demeanor changing.   
Keerina waved her right hand once more, fingers moving gracefully and specifically. "Any information you have would be useful."   
"I have some information that may turn out to be useful."   
"Please, go on," Keerina bade the Algerogan.   
"There has been some unusual activity at one of the abandoned farms lately. The one near the woodlands to the west. Strange energy readings, as though there were some sort of machine there; at least that's the only explanation I have for such power levels."   
Absently, Tila-Shen turned her head to the west and her eyes narrowed in her concentration on the Living Force.   
"Any idea what this machine may be doing?" Obi-Wan asked.   
"I've tried to find out," Galagyula told them, "but…" and here he chose his words very carefully, "… the only person I know who went there to find out hasn't come back."   
"Master," Tila-Shen broke in, not taking her eyes off the west, "I'm sensing an upheaval in the Force in that direction; a great confusion."   
"Perhaps we should go and take a look," suggested Obi-Wan.   
Galagyula's irritating demeanor returned with his blink. "Perhaps you should," he snapped, "and leave me and my people be. We have the right to say what we wish to say without being harassed for it. This is a democracy, after all." With that and nothing further, he slammed the door in front of the four Jedi. There was a click of a lock that told them with finality that they should leave.   
Tila-Shen whistled. "All hail the ruthlessly opinionated."   
"Talk about rude," Anakin agreed, "all we're doing is asking him some questions."   
"Mind your thoughts, Anakin," Obi-Wan corrected, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.   
"I'm not angry, just annoyed."   
"Trust me; annoyance can lead to anger, as well."   
"I believe it would be wise of us to depart," Keerina stated, her blue eyes scanning the area. Several of the other Algerogans from the neighborhood had paused in their activities, trying not to look conspicuous about it. They were all giving the Jedi those look-but-don't-look stares, suspiciousness playing across their features quite obviously.   
"I believe you're right," Obi-Wan agreed, "let's go look into this disturbance in the west. There's something very strange going on, here." 

On the surface, the dried out old farmland looked normal enough. The land was cracked and thirsty and what few remains of plant life there were stood on hideously bent stalks, threatening to tumble away with the next strong wind. A mud brick house stood on one corner of the land, fallen into disrepair and beginning to crumble. The forest to the west was in similar shape; tired trees beginning to drop their leaves prematurely, creating a carpet of dry debris.   
The four Jedi had decided to split into groups of two to investigate. Keerina and Tila-Shen were already on their way to check out the house and the eastern side of the farm. Obi-Wan and Anakin, meanwhile, began a slow, mindful trudge through the fields toward the western side of the farm and the forest edge. They weren't far from the speeder when Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks, suddenly compelled to put a hand on his lightsaber in readiness.   
"What is it, Master?" Anakin asked. "Danger?"   
Slowly, Obi-Wan took his hand off his lightsaber and looked about. "I don't think it's immediate," he said at length, "but there is something here; something very dangerous." He tried to focus in on the source of the disturbance, but it led his sense on a wild goose chase, winding in and out of various features of the farm until it finally faded to a nebulous feeling that simply hung over the place as a whole. "Anakin," he said, "I want you to open your senses. Concentrate on the Living Force and tell me what you feel from this place."   
"Is this a test or something?" Anakin asked.   
Obi-Wan bobbed his head back and forth in a non-committal way. "Of sorts. I need… a second opinion, you could say. Concentrate on this place. Look outward and let the Force flow into you."   
"Can I close my eyes?"   
"If it helps you."   
Anakin did so and took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. He reached out with his senses, all six of them, and one by one they each fed information to his attentive mind. His eyes, of course, were closed. He had discovered quite quickly that it was a distraction to him while trying to focus on his other senses. The first to come to him was touch; a slight breeze blew through his hair and his fingers. Next came smell; accompanying the breeze was the slight tinge of dust which crept into his taste as well. A strange aftertaste that Anakin knew well came to him; mech fluid. He had tasted it more than once while trying to siphon it from one droid to another on Tatooine. Finally, slowly and dull at first but growing to a sense as focused as his others, the Force tickled his mind. The green smell of a voice whispered across his fingers, communicating the feelings of the place to him. It was sad, lonely, afraid; Anakin understood it quite well and urged it to be strong, saying that he was here to help it.   
"This place is sad," Anakin finally concluded, telling Obi-Wan, "it's in pain and it's afraid."   
Careful not to break Anakin's concentration, Obi-Wan spoke softly and calmly. "Where does it come from?" he asked.   
"All over," Anakin responded, "one is close, but the others are far away, almost like they're a world away."   
Obi-Wan puzzled over this; was Anakin really sensing things in the Force that were beyond his physical sight? Such a thing for a Padawan of only one year of training was almost unheard of.   
"Yes, that's it," Anakin stated, "this place… this planet is in pain. It wants us to help it."   
Obi-Wan blinked, stupidly. Planet? Did Anakin just say he was sensing the entire _planet_?   
The Knight shook himself out of his astonishment, reminding himself that Qui-Gon hadn't thought this boy was the Chosen of the Midichloians for no reason at all. Carefully, he reigned in his thoughts enough to ask Anakin a second question. "Can you locate the place near to here where you sense a disturbance?"   
Anakin put one hand out in front of him, pointing with his index finger. Slowly, as if scanning the place with a line that extended from his hand, he turned around until he stopped, pointing in one direction. "It's that way," he said with utter certainty.   
Gently, Obi-Wan put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Very good, Padawan," he said, bringing Anakin out of his concentration, "let's go see what we can see, hmm?"   
Anakin swayed a little, looking a bit punch-drunk from what he had felt. Figuring that it wasn't in the least surprising, Obi-Wan allowed him a moment, kneeling down in front of the boy and putting both hands on his shoulders. The Knight decided that in order to function properly, Anakin needed to be shored up a little. He concentrated on the tiny, delicate, hardly adequate link that called itself their bond and pushed the Force through it, mixing it with as much assurance he could, but not certain that it actually made it to the boy. He gathered the force around them like a warm blanket and wrapped his Padawan in it. The effort seemed to do only a little, but he could tell from Anakin's expression that the boy was grateful he was making the attempt.   
Obi-Wan hadn't even noticed that his concentration on the Force around him had dropped away completely with the effort. Otherwise, he would have felt the ground beneath them scream out in agony. As such, he was startled when a massive rumbling sent them both sprawling on the ground in a heap. Grasping at his concentration like hands on a greased covered pole, Obi-Wan was forced to see what was happening using his eyes instead of the Force. He rolled over onto his back just in time to see a large column of steam rise into the air from the very spot Anakin had previously indicated. An instant later, droplets of hot water began to rain down on them. Obi-Wan reached over to Anakin and pulled him on top of him with one hand and pulled his cloak over them both with the other. As the boiling rain intensified, he flopped both himself and the boy over so that he could protect the tiny form in his care from getting burned.   
Once he was certain the rain had come to a stop and all was calm again, they both slowly got to their feet.   
"What was that?" Anakin asked, more than a little fear creeping into his voice. Obi-Wan didn't bother to tell him to keep it in check. It was obvious they had more important things to concentrate on.   
"A geyser," Obi-Wan stated, "what's it doing here?"   
"What's a geyser?"   
"I don't suppose you had them on Tatooine. Water close to the planet's molten core boils, becoming steam which then bursts out of the ground, rather violently."   
"I gathered that part."   
"Stay here, and keep your hood up in case it goes off again," the Knight instructed.   
"Where are you going?"   
"To have a look."   
"But what if it goes off while you're close?"   
"This time, I'll know before hand."   
Obi-Wan cautiously walked in the direction of the geyser, keeping his senses attuned to the Force around him. As he approached, he began to sense a certain growing darkness around him, as though he were slowly walking into a very dark room at the end of a long hallway. Again, he felt compelled to put a hand on his lightsaber.   
He came to the fresh crack in the land where the steam had gushed forth. The edges had worn away, revealing a few large stones that were now dripping with cooling water.   
But something else along the edge glinted in the sunlight and caught his eye. Hand still on his lightsaber, he crouched down for a closer look. Tentatively, checking to see whether or not it was still hot, he brushed some of the mud away, revealing a flat surface of silver metal. He laid his hand on it and felt perfectly timed, thrumming vibrations. It was a machine.   
Hand still inexplicably bonded to his lightsaber, he stood and surveyed the ground nearby. If the edge of the machine hadn't called his attention to it, he would have missed the massive, circular indentation in the abandoned field; a slight dip in the ground, an only barely disturbed look to the soil. Around it, puddles had formed from the rain of the geyser. Obi-Wan noticed one of them retreating into its center. Curiously, it was doing this far to fast for it to be simply due to evaporation. It was as if something were pulling it down into the ground.   
"A pump," he mused to himself, "this machine is one giant pump!"   
He had no time for further reflection, however. A hole opened in the ground behind him, spitting forth not boiling water, but a man, climbing the air on a jetpack, taking the tactical advantage of the sky quickly. At the very same instant he fired off blasts from a laser weapon, Obi-Wan drew the lightsaber hanging off his belt and lit the glowing green blade that was the legacy of Qui-Gon Jinn. Deftly, he deflected the blasts. One of the laser bolts sped directly back at what a small part of Obi-Wan's brain had decided was another bounty hunter, knocking the figure out of the air and apparently damaging the jetpack.   
In an effort to keep the bounty hunter off his feet, Obi-Wan quickly searched the Force. In the blink of an eye, he found a small pocket of hot steam. He called on the Force to open a hole in the ground to it and the planet was only too happy to oblige, moving aside the soil and rock and allowing the pressure to escape into the air, directed toward the bounty hunter.   
The new, unexpected geyser threw the bounty hunter backward as he let out a cry of pain. Once the geyser had finished, the bounty hunter sprang to his feet and took off at a sprint in the direction of the dried out woods.   
"Anakin, get the speeder!" Obi-Wan called to his Padawan just before taking off after the bounty hunter, green lightsaber flashing in his hand as he ran.   
Anakin didn't wait to watch them both disappear into the woods. Instead, he sprinted off in the other direction. He reached the speeder they had used to get there just as Keerina and Tila-Shen did.   
"What's happening, where's Obi-Wan?" Keerina asked.   
"Chasing someone," Anakin stated, climbing into the driver's seat of the speeder. Keerina got into the front seat next to him and Tila-Shen climbed in behind her Master. "We were attacked out in the field, near the woods and Obi-Wan told me to get the speeder and then went after him."   
Anakin brought the speeder to life, twisted it around, and sent it skimming across the fields toward the woods, hoping he would be able to find Obi-Wan in it well enough to catch up with him. 

For the second time in as many days, Obi-Wan was frantically chasing after a bounty hunter. However, this one was quite different from the first. There was a certain air of urgency that accompanied this one's flight that hadn't been present in that of the first.   
He deflected a pair of laser blasts from the bounty hunter and picked up his pace, trying to gain some ground. A face full of it was what Obi-Wan received when the bounty hunter aimed his arm at him and fired off a small missile of some sort. The concussion momentarily knocked the Jedi off his feet and in the time it took him to get up again, he heard the tell-tale whine of an engine that signaled a starting up of a speeder. An instant later, the bounty hunter emerged from a patch of thick, dry bushes atop a one man speeder bike.   
As the whine of that engine faded into the distance, Obi-Wan heard another behind him. He put his lightsaber away, called up the Force, and propelled himself upward to the nearest tree branch. He flipped over it and lighted on top of it, waiting to time his coming jump perfectly.   
The Jedis' speeder approached and for an instant, Obi-Wan allowed himself relief that Anakin had also managed to collect Keerina and Tila-Shen. Just as the speeder swept by beneath him, he hopped from the branch and landed in the last remaining seat, behind Anakin and next to Tila-Shen.   
"You're right on time," he called over the hum of the engine, "follow him, Anakin."   
"If only the public transportation on Coruscant was this prompt," Tila-Shen quipped from her seat.   
"Watch that tree!" Keerina exclaimed.   
"I see it!" Anakin responded, just before touching the control ever so slightly and maneuvering around the half-dead tree by mere feet.   
"Take us up over the trees, Anakin," Obi-Wan commanded.   
"I can handle this, it's just like the podraces back on Tatooine," Anakin called back over his shoulder, "besides, we won't be able to see him from up there."   
The speeder only narrowly avoided another large tree.   
"Your Padawan is insane!" Keerina yelled to Obi-Wan.   
"I'm learning that!" Obi-Wan yelled back, ducking a branch he was sure was going to hit him square in the face at a speed approaching seventy miles and hour.   
Suddenly, something dropped out of the trees above them, in pure defiance of the senses of the four Jedi in the speeder. It was closest to Obi-Wan and he had only an instant to light his saber and parry a glowing red blow from a similar one. On instinct, he stood up to get better leverage and push back the blow. Something swept under him, knocking him off his feet and sending him tumbling backward out of the speeder. By the time Tila-Shen and Keerina had turned to see what was going on, they only caught a glimpse of black flutter out of their sight. They both leaned over the side of the speeder and saw two forms disappear into the green and brown foliage below.   
"Master Kenobi!" Tila-Shen exclaimed, pushing out of her seat and jumping out of the speeder after them.   
"No! Tila-Shen, wait!" Keerina said as her apprentice dropped as well. She hit her hand against the side of the speeder. "Blast it! Young people!"   
"We should go after them!" Anakin shouted, preparing to turn back.   
"No!" Keerina stated. "We have to catch that speeder! We'll come back to find them later!"   
"But-"   
"You will do as I say, Padawan Skywalker!"   
Anakin straightened to attention and gripped the controls tighter. "Yes, ma'am!" 

In the foliage below, Tila-Shen rolled to a stop and regained her feet in an instant, sensing immediate danger. Her lightdagger was out first, its green blade parrying a blow over her shoulder as her other hand grabbed and lit her matching lightsaber. She spun around on the ball of her foot and slashed the saber. The blow deflected off a blade of red. Instinct told her to jump and she leaped over a slashing green tentacle as it whipped along the ground. Parrying one blow with her dagger, Tila-Shen sent forth her own slash, snapping her fingers tight around her hilt of her saber. That slash was deflected as well.   
Her opponent parried several more blows with a red blade that spun wildly through the air, all the while gaining some distance. Just before her opponent was out of range, Tila-Shen sent one more slash to the other fighter's head. The green saber sliced through only the easily giving cloth of the attacker's cloak, though.   
The attacker's black hood fell away, revealing green skin and a head the shape of more than one species of snake she had seen. The darker flaps on the sides of the creature's face stretched as it opened its mouth and hissed, revealing two long, white teeth that looked as though they could bite through the thick skin of a Taun Taun.   
An instant later, the creature feinted with its saber, then whipped its massive tail through the dirt and debris on the forest floor, sending it flying into Tila-Shen's face. The Padawan backed up, shielding her eyes, expecting the moment to be her last as the creature cut her down.   
But the killing blow never came. And by the time Tila-Shen cleared her sight, the creature was gone and she felt no more impending danger through the Force. To double check, she pushed her senses outward and let the Force speak to her. But all it told her was that the danger was passed. She turned off both her blades but kept her lightsaber in her hand just in case.   
She wandered back in the direction she had tumbled from, figuring that Obi-Wan was somewhere on that path. She came across him a few minutes later, working his way out of a pile of branches and other forest detritus that had been the nest of some wild creature before he had fallen on it. He had just managed to get his head above the branches when Tila-Shen met up with him.   
"Master Kenobi?" she ventured between his rather irate sounding mutters.   
He paused and turned his head around to look at her. "Yeah?"   
"Are… you all right?"   
"Other than being stuck and just having decided I hate flying? I'm fine. Whose idea was it for Jedi fashion to be big, floppy, and prone to tangling?" He shook one stuck arm and pulled. There was a substantial ripping sound and Obi-Wan moaned as he held up the free but torn right sleeve of his brown cloak.   
"You, uh, ripped your sleeve, there."   
"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help me out, here?"   
"Well, truth be told, this is rather amusing."   
Obi-Wan gave her that look that was well practiced on his own Padawan. Tila-Shen decided that it was probably better for her health that she assist the Knight.   
"That thing that attacked us just now," she said, beginning to pull some of the branches away, "it had a red lightsaber. You don't suppose…"   
"A Sith," Obi-Wan confirmed, "we'll have to be on our guard. Any sign of it?"   
She nodded. "Had a nice little run in with it. Some kind of… snake being, a Halsion, I think."   
"You fought it?"   
"More like flailed around while it fought me. It felt like I was fighting Master Yoda, I didn't have a chance. I don't think it was out to kill me. It blinded me long enough to disappear back to Force knows where."   
Obi-Wan was finally free enough of the ruins of the nest that he was able to kick away what remained and climb out. "That means one of two things," he said, "either it didn't mean to reveal itself and falling into the speeder was a mistake, or it meant to separate us. We have to assume the worst case scenario."   
"So if it did mean to separate us and if it's not coming after you and me…"   
"Oh, bloody Sith!"   
"Keerina and Ani!"   
"We need to find them," Obi-Wan stated, "Keerina would have kept after that bounty hunter."   
"This forest is huge," she said, "we've got to be ten miles into it and Keerina and Ani must be twice that far away by now."   
"I hope that isn't despair I hear, Padawan Razeek."   
"Not at all, Master Kenobi. I'm simply taking an inventory of all our problems." 

Anakin and Keerina, meanwhile, were still speeding after the bounty hunter. As they continued west, the forest abruptly fell away and left them in the middle of a sprawling prairie. Noting that his cover had fallen away, the bounty hunter poured on his air breaks and swung his little, one-man speeder around to face the two oncoming Jedi. He fired off a shot that Anakin managed to avoid by a very quick, subtle swerve. He couldn't slow down enough, however and soon the bounty hunter was tailing them rather than them tailing the bounty hunter.   
Keerina lit her blue lightsaber and climbed over her seat to the back. "Keep your eyes ahead," she told Anakin. She then got to her feet and wrapped her tail around the handhold of the seat she had been sitting in. As the bounty hunter closed, firing laser shots from the blaster mounted on his speeder, she deflected the blasts, biding her time.   
The speeders got closer and closer to one another until finally, Keerina felt they were within a distance that she could leap from one to the other. Calling on the Force to assist her, she did so just as one of the bounty hunter's shots clipped the back end of the Jedi speeder. She flipped around as she sailed over the bounty hunter's head and landed behind him on the speeder. Before he could do anything, she plunged her lightsaber into the drive system on the back. The speeder lurched and it took all of the bounty hunter's concentration to safely slow it down to a non-lethal speed. As soon as they were close enough to he ground, Keerina jumped off and rolled to a stop. The bounty hunter did the same not far from her.   
The old Jedi Knight was first on her feet and she had the blade of her lightsaber pointed at the bounty hunter's throat in very short order.   
"Do not move," she warned him.   
The bounty hunter looked up at her defiantly. "You've had your thousand years, Jedi," he hissed out. Then, he shifted his jaw and bit down. Something in his mouth cracked and very shortly thereafter, his eyes rolled back into his head and Keerina felt the Living Force leave him.   
He had poisoned himself rather than be taken prisoner.   
Keerina sighed as she switched off her lightsaber and let that be her only sign of frustration. Instead of dwelling on that, she made her way to where Anakin had put down the speeder, following the smoke that was rising out of its back end. The young Padawan was already inspecting the damage to the back end when she got there.   
"The whole drive system is fried," Anakin informed her, "there's no way we can ride this thing back into town."   
"Are you certain?" she asked. "We're in for a very long hike otherwise."   
"Positive. I know my machines. Even the best mechanics can't fix things without parts, though." He paused and turned to look back at the elder Knight. "Master Keerina, ma'am. What about Master Obi-Wan and Tila-Shen? What attacked us and can they fight it?"   
"We must have faith, little one. Your master and my Padawan are both accomplished fighters. They can take care of themselves. We will find them. But, to do that, we have considerable ground to cover, so let us begin."   
Anakin nodded his understanding. He grabbed the two bottles of water and the food rations that were stashed in the speeder, tucked them into his cloak, and they were on their way. 

By the time night fell, Obi-Wan and Tila-Shen couldn't have made it any further than five miles. Their way was blocked by thick underbrush and a plethora of other forest debris. They couldn't use their lightsabers to cut their way through, though, because all of it was dry as a tinderbox and the last thing they wanted to do was compound their troubles by starting a wildfire. However, each time they came to a sizable clearing, Tila-Shen took the lead, taking the chance to gain just a little bit of time. Finally, she was far enough ahead of Obi-Wan that he was getting nervous.   
"Tila-Shen, slow down," he called, "we're on the same side, remember?"   
Huffing for her breath, she paused in the next clearing and turned back to him. "Apologies, Master Kenobi," she said, "I'm just trying to make some progress."   
He nodded his understanding as he came to a halt next to her, also puffing for breath. "I understand, but our progress is slowing as we get tired. We've been going full speed for three hours and it's getting too dark to see anything. We should rest for the night."   
"I'm fine, I can keep going. C'mon."   
"Tila-Shen," Obi-Wan said, tone deadly serious, "I can sense fear and urgency radiating off of you. I understand your concern for your Master, but you must mind yourself. And we must stop for the night before we get lost."   
The Padawan bent over and rested her hands on her knees, catching her breath. She visibly regained her composure and Obi-Wan felt her fear bury itself in the Force. "You're right, of course," she conceded at length. Tiredly, she allowed herself to flop down on the ground, "it's just that they're out there, somewhere, and so's that Sith."   
Obi-Wan sat down next to her. "Think of this; if something were to happen to Keerina, you would feel it, would you not?"   
She nodded.   
"And have you?"   
She shook her head.   
"Then she and Anakin are both fine. Put your faith in their abilities. We will find them or they will find us."   
She nodded again. "I guess you of all Jedi would understand."   
Avoiding the subject through the use of silence, Obi-Wan set about clearing a wide circle on the forest floor down to the dirt. He then piled some dried leaves in the middle and set some pieces of wood on top of them. He lit his lightsaber and touched it to the pile. The dried out pieces of dead plant took to the heat willingly and fire began to lap around its edges almost immediately.   
"That's Master Qui-Gon's lightsaber, isn't it?" Tila-Shen asked as Obi-Wan put the weapon away.   
Obi-Wan turned it over in his hand, pondering it for a moment before nodding and clipping it to his belt. "I guess I inherited it after Naboo. Seems fitting, but somehow, if doesn't quite feel right."   
"I'm surprised you didn't remake your own."   
"I carry my Master's lightsaber. How many Knights get to say that?"   
She blinked at him. "Master Kenobi, do you realize what you're saying? A Jedi's lightsaber is his life; Qui-Gon had to die to leave that with you. And you're saying that you don't have a problem with that?"   
"That is most certainly not what I am saying."   
"Well, then what are you saying?"   
"I'm saying that-" Obi-Wan stopped himself and sighed, careful not to lose control. This was bringing up more than he cared to deal with at the moment. "He left his life in my hands and I have an obligation to fulfill my promise to him, that's all."   
"Qui-Gon didn't ask you to become him, he asked you to train the kid."   
"We were talking about the lightsaber."   
"Is there really a difference?"   
"That's enough!" Obi-Wan snapped, shooting to his feet. As he began to pace, hands pressed to his temples and visibly struggling to let his emotions drift away into the Force, Tila-Shen fell silent. She curled her knees up to her chest and rested her arms on them, studying the fire in front of her.   
"I've always been fascinated by the Force in fire," she said after several moments of strained silence, "the way it jumps and dances. It's got an energy to it that charges the Force around it. Each fire is different, too. Some are cooler than others, giving its life to the sparks it sends out as if hoping that by doing so it might spawn a braver fire elsewhere. Others are hot and they burn themselves out quickly, never pausing to realize the life it has or the effect it has around itself."   
Obi-Wan felt a ripple in the Force tickle the back of his mind and call his attention. He turned back to Tila-Shen and found that she was not looking at anything in particular. Her eyes were foggy, half glazed over and her face had no expression, as if hypnotized.   
"There is a flame inside you, Obi-Wan Kenobi. A flame that will one day reignite a fire lost to the Jedi."   
Cautiously, Obi-Wan crouched down next to her and waved a hand in front of her face. Her expression didn't change, but she slowly turned her head to look at him.   
"Do not fear this fire, Obi-Wan. It will not consume you. It cannot harm you."   
The Force brushed against his senses and Obi-Wan felt the shiver of time through his entire being. He wasn't sure how long he stared at the debatably conscious Tila-Shen, but he finally reached a hand out and shook her shoulder.   
Tila-Shen blinked, started, and shook her head. Obviously shaken, and opened and closed her mouth several times before she found her voice again. "Don't ask me," she said, "I'm just the messenger."   
"That was…"   
She nodded, turning her attention back to the fire. "A Force vision, yeah."   
"You're a diviner?"   
"It isn't anything I can control," she responded, voice shaking a bit, "I just get these images in my head at random times and every time someone has to snap me out of it. Thank the Force I've never had one during a fight."   
"How many times have you…?"   
"Let's see… seven I think. A couple of those were the same person, duplicated."   
"Who else?"   
"You just now, Padawan Kissil, Master Yoda… twice, Anakin twice… once was before I even met him in fact… and… and Master Keerina." She said the last one rather solemnly, as if just saying that she had had the vision of her master would let some demon out of confinement and let it ravage the entire galaxy.   
Obi-Wan felt her fear bubble to the surface before she buried it once again.   
"What do you see for Keerina?"   
"I see her floating above darkness that will strike her down with a frozen spear of nebulous purpose."   
"That's the reason," Obi-Wan realized.   
She nodded. "Now you know, Master Kenobi. It's the reason I'm not ready to take the trials." 

About thirty miles west, a similar fire was burning but there was no conversation. Instead, Anakin was curled up into his cloak, sleeping as close to the fire as he safely could and Keerina sat watch, steeped in light meditation and senses alert. The Knight heard the boy shift and give out a soft moan so she opened her eyes to check on him. Finding that all was physically right, she returned to her musings.   
The training bond with her Padawan was present, of course. Through it, Keerina could feel that Tila-Shen was struggling with her emotions and thoughts. The Padawan was concentrating on keeping, above all things, her fear in check. Uncertainty colored their bond and Keerina wished that the myth about Masters and their Padawans being able to communicate words through the bond were true; Tila-Shen needed reassurance that Keerina was with her.   
This was exactly the scenario that Tila-Shen always worried about. Yet the Knight also knew that the fear wasn't of a threat to the girl but of that to the Master herself. Keerina knew that the Force had given her Padawan a vision about her, but Tila-Shen always refused to tell Keerina what it was. That, alone, didn't bode well.   
Truly, Tila-Shen had just as far to come as the little boy restlessly sleeping in front of her.   
Since she couldn't use the bond to physically communicate, Keerina gathered up her own confidence and reassurance and pushed it through the training bond to her Padawan. It was all she could do. She could only hope that Obi-Wan was with her, helping her keep her thoughts in check.   
That was assuming, of course, that he could handle his own.   
The past year had been very taxing on the young Knight, Keerina reflected. He was perhaps less composed now than he had been when he had first returned to the Temple following the mission to Naboo with Qui-Gon. In the Temple, he had been able to carefully balance the turmoil within him, but in the course of this mission, Keerina had come to realize just how fragile Obi-Wan really was.   
He was certainly not in any danger of turning to the Dark Side, though. She knew he had too much respect for Qui-Gon to let him down that way. But he was beginning to grow thin in such a way that one would only see it if one was looking for it.   
Keerina shook her head and sighed. "Qui-Gon, you old fool," she whispered to herself, "look at what you've left him with. You had to make him promise himself to the boy, but you couldn't be bothered to say good bye to him."   
And that, Keerina knew, was the problem Anakin and Obi-Wan were having now. Neither one had let go of Qui-Gon, the man who had been a teacher to both. They still clung to the spirit of that man rather than reach out to each other and realize they needed to look elsewhere. Obi-Wan needed Anakin and Anakin needed Obi-Wan.   
Keerina could only hope that they didn't both break before they realized it.   
Letting these thoughts drop away, Keerina found herself curiously fascinated by the fire in front of her. 

The elder Knight and the younger Padawan had been up with the sun, much as their tired bodies protested. They each managed to eat one of the ration packs that Anakin was carrying, then they made sure their campfire was completely out and struck out again as the Algerogan sun slowly made its way into the sky.   
Keerina had to admire Anakin. He was managing to keep up fairly well despite his smaller size. She figured he had that same endless well of energy all little boys had.   
"Master Keerina," he ventured, "how much further do you think we have to go?"   
"Well, we've been traveling for seven hours now. I'd say about another ten miles or so."   
"Do you think Obi-Wan and Tila-Shen are coming this way?"   
"It is possible. Are you getting tired, little one?"   
"No," Anakin said, defiantly, "I can keep going."   
"With that spirit, we'll find them in no time."   
They walked onward for several moments before Anakin spoke again. "Master Keerina?"   
"Yes?"   
"How long have you known Master Obi-Wan?"   
"I was Knighted the same year Qui-Gon was apprenticed to Master Dooku," she answered, simply.   
"Oh. I guess that's a long time. How old are you?"   
"Seventy-three."   
"You sure don't look it."   
"My kind can live to be nearly two-hundred."   
"Oh."   
"Is there something specific you wish to know, little one?"   
"I'm just talking, that's all. I'm bored and it's just really quiet."   
Keerina nodded, her tone turning quite serious. "Yes, I had noticed that myself. Almost no sound at all."   
"What do you mean?"   
"Take a moment and listen, Padawan," she instructed, "a forest is usually teeming with wildlife that makes its presence known. Not just through the Force, but through the sounds of movement of animals, birds singing, and other things. This forest is very quiet, all of a sudden. Open your senses to the Force. Tell me what you feel."   
As the walked along, Anakin quieted his mind as much as he could and still have enough concentration to keep moving without falling over. He reached out through the Force and called to the trees, the animals, anything that would answer. There were no animals to sense, but the trees seemed to tremble with anxiousness, as if a dark force was walking among them.   
"There's something nearby," Anakin said, dropping his voice to almost a whisper, "something very dangerous."   
"Yes," Keerina answered in kind, "I've sensed it for the past few minutes. We may be ambushed soon. But, before that, I want you to realize what you've just accomplished."   
"What do you mean?"   
"Little one," she said, "you just used all six of your senses at once. Your Master mentioned to me that you had been closing your eyes in order to concentrate on the Force. To keep walking, you couldn't do that. Now then, let's quiet, shall we. I believe our opponent is near."   
Keerina was correct. It was only a moment later that the snake-bodied Sith creature dropped down from the trees, slashing its red lightsaber. Keerina met the attack swiftly, flashing her blue lightsaber in a practiced set of maneuvers that drove the Sith back, away from Anakin. The boy took this time to unclip his own blue lightsaber from his belt and activate it, ready to back Keerina up.   
The Sith realized what Keerina was doing and went on the offensive. It feinted a slash to Keerina's head, then changed attacks fluidly and went for the Jedi's legs. Keerina jumped the downward slice, adding a spin to her jump. Her tail flailed across the Sith's face, blinding it for only a moment as she landed and regained her footing. Keerina blocked the Sith's next blow and shot forth a riposte that the Sith sidestepped.   
The battle went on in such a manner for several moments. All the while, Anakin hung back and watched, knowing that while he knew how to fight, in theory, he had had very little real experience. A Sith was simply out of his league for now. He watched Keerina carefully, though, in case the Sith managed to get hit on the Jedi. He would gather the Force up within him and at least be a distraction if she needed to regain her feet.   
Keerina sent forth a slash to the Sith's head, her three-fingered hand tensing around the grip of her lightsaber and causing the tip of the blade to whistle through the air. The Sith blocked the blow, red blade flying up in front of its face horizontally. Keerina kept the pressure on her blade, locking them in a duel of strength. They remained thus for almost an entire second before Keerina dropped into a flip, kicking out with her powerful, animal-like legs and knocking the Sith in its jaw. The Sith lost its balance and tumbled backward. Keerina twisted around and headed for Anakin. She deactivated her lightsaber and scooped him up in one fluid move. Dropping low to the ground, she flipped the boy up over her head and on to her back.   
"Hang on!" she exclaimed, pushing off the ground in a powerful jump, the Force assisting her way into the treetops. In a dizzying sequence of jumps, Keerina climbed into the forest canopy like a gymnast, even using her tail at one point to spin herself around the trunk of a tree and change her direction. Before Anakin knew it, the Sith was well in the distance.   
They came to a break in the trees and suddenly Anakin realized that there was a muddy swamp below them. Keerina called on the Force once again and leaped the distance across it into the nearest tree on the other side. Hopping from tree branch to tree branch, Keerina descended back to the forest floor and continued their flight on the ground, running along on all fours, using the full strength of her legs to propel them forward at a rather quick pace.   
"This is so wizard!" Anakin exclaimed. "Can you teach me how to do that?"   
"Don't talk or you'll bite your tongue!" 

Well behind them, the Sith smiled to herself, looking in the distance the two Jedi had retreated. Her satisfaction flowed through her, mixing with her excitement. If all went well, she would kill two, possibly three Jedi this night.   
She put away her lightsaber and pulled out her holoprojector. When she activated it, the cloaked figure of her master sprang from it.   
"Report, Lady Kardis," he commanded.   
"All four of the Jedi make their way toward the determined location," she hissed out, "I have sped the boy and the older knight on their way. They will reach it by nightfall."   
"Excellent. You have done well, Darth Kardis. I give you the authority to take your revenge for Lord Maul. Provided the boy remains unharmed."   
"And the Jedi who struck down Lord Maul?"   
"Kill the other two first. Then you may go after him. But be warned; the Jedi Kenobi is a formidable opponent."   
"I understand, my master." 

Nearly two hours later, as night was beginning to fall once again, Keerina plodded to a stop in a clearing and stood up, letting Anakin slide off her back. Cautiously, she looked around for a moment, checking to see they weren't followed. Finally deciding they were safe enough to take a rest, she sat down hard on the forest floor, puffing for breath.   
"Force! I can't remember the last time I ran like that," she exclaimed.   
"Here," Anakin said, handing her one of the two bottles of water he had been carrying. She took the proffered bottle and took one long pull from it before handing it back. "That's all you're gonna have?" Anakin asked, pushing the bottle back into her hand. "You really should drink some more. Believe me; dehydration is nothing to laugh about."   
Keerina cocked an eyebrow at him, surprised at the boy's maturity in the matter. She let out a tired chuckle and took the bottle once again. "I suppose I should know better then to argue this matter with someone who comes from a desert planet, hmm?" she said, taking another substantial pull from the bottle.   
"Do you think we should stay here for the night?" Anakin asked.   
"That may not be an unwise decision," Keerina agreed, "I can sense Tila-Shen and Obi-Wan not too far from here. Perhaps they will come this way."   
"What about the Sith?"   
"I have not sensed it for some time. But that means nothing. Sith are trained well in stealth and hiding. We must be very cautious."   
"Right." Anakin paused for several moments, seemingly pondering the ground in front of where he sat. "Master Keerina, why do the Sith hate the Jedi? And why do the Jedi hate the Sith?"   
"Jedi do not hate," Keerina sternly corrected, "hate causes suffering. We do not even hate the Sith. The Sith represent the Dark Side of the Force so to hate them would be to hate the Force. No, we do not hate the Sith. We simply… violently disagree."   
"Then why do Jedi fight them?"   
"Because the Sith fight the Jedi."   
"Why?"   
"It is one of the great mysteries of the universe, Anakin," she responded, "the light and the darkness cannot exist without each other but nor can they mix and mingle. It is simply the way of things. The Force has its own purpose and we must trust that it knows what it is doing."   
"But, how can I trust something that let someone like Qui-Gon die?"   
"Ah, so that is why you struggle so. You are very strong in the Living Force, little one, so it is no surprise you don't see it."   
"What do you mean? What don't I see?"   
"Anakin, has Obi-Wan taught you about the Unifying Force?"   
"Just a little. He keeps saying I should concentrate on the Living Force, though."   
"Your Master is strong in the Unifying Force, what the layman might call 'the big picture.' It is the part of the Force that brings life together. While the Living Force is the life in all things, the Unifying Force is the set of bonds that brings everything together, the interactions between the small parts of the Living Force. Now, take Qui-Gon, for example. You and Obi-Wan both cared for him a great deal. And when he rejoined the Force a year ago, you were both confused and sad. In fact, you both are still."   
"Master Obi-Wan doesn't look it."   
"That is because of his training. He lets go of those feelings, lets them bleed off into the Force. He has not yet realized that he is continually doing it. But, the important thing is that it is something you both have in common. You see?"   
"You mean, it's the way the Unifying Force is trying to make us friends."   
"That is correct. You will see it, feel it, in time. Now that you are aware of it, you can look for it. When we find Obi-Wan and Tila-Shen, quiet your mind for a moment and seek the connection out. It is there."   
"So, the Force let Qui-Gon die so Master Obi-Wan and I could become Master and Padawan? That doesn't seem very fair to Qui-Gon."   
Keerina sighed. "No, perhaps it is not. But now you know that his death was not without purpose. You should take comfort in that rather than mourn it."   
"Well, I guess so, but-"   
Their conversation was abruptly cut short when the Sith, Darth Kardis, dropped out of the trees once again. Briefly, for but an instant, Keerina scolded herself for not suspecting it; it seemed to be the Sith's trademark after all. The snake creature dropped down to the ground between them and before Anakin could react, she slashed her tail through the air at him, knocking him across the clearing and out cold. She baked away from Keerina and lit her red lightsaber.   
"Filling the young one's head with your Jedi nonsense?" she spat.   
Calmly, Keerina stood and lit her own blue lightsaber. "So, the Sith speaks at last," she said, "truth be told, I was beginning to wonder whether or not the Dark Side had a voice."   
Kardis charged in with the first attack and the battle was joined. Keerina parried it easily and shot forth a riposte aimed at Kardis' belly. The Sith slithered to the side, avoiding it, then spun, lashing her tail at the Jedi, following through with another slash at head height. Keerina jumped the tail, ducked the blade, and slashed around for an attack toward what would have been Kardis' feet if the Sith had had any. Kardis parried the blow in an arc, swiping along the forest floor with her lightsaber as she did.   
The two combatants backed away from each other as a line of fire formed. Sparks snapped and flew through the air, spreading the flames quickly and Keerina silently chided herself again; this was the driest, most debris-strewn clearing she had Anakin had come to yet. It had simply been ripe for a fire and Kardis had wasted little time in lighting one.   
They had walked right into a trap. 

"I'm just saying, the next time-"   
"What makes you think there will be a next time?"   
"The next time, if you want something edible, I hunt and you cook," Tila-Shen groused, poking Obi-Wan in the chest as they both trudged along tiredly, "although, from what I hear that may not be such a good idea either. At least with my cooking, the only thing we have to worry about is hair in the stew."   
"You heard about…" Obi-Wan just couldn't bring himself to repeat the misadventure, "but that was nearly four years ago."   
"Who didn't hear about it?"   
"There was only one pot they couldn't chisel out again!"   
"I hear they sold it to some Mon Calamari to use as a boat anchor."   
"You see? There's a use for every-" Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks and looked directly ahead of their path. A ripple from the Force was tickling his mind, screaming out agony and energy. As he listened to it, he felt it spread and at the same time a glow began to grow from its direction. "What in blazes is that?"   
Tila-Shen followed his gaze and opened her senses to the Force as well. "I think a blaze is exactly what it is." She paused. "Oh, Force! Keerina's over there!"   
"She's not the only one," Obi-Wan said grimly, "so's the Sith, I can sense the Dark Side, as well. C'mon!"   
Obi-Wan led the charge as they both broke into a sprint toward the ominous orange glow. He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt, ready to use it at a moment's notice and took comfort in the fact that Tila-Shen was following suit. They reached the outskirts of the fire zone quickly and were brought to a sudden halt by a series of fallen, flaming branches blocking their way.   
Just beyond this fiery barrier they could see Keerina and the Sith, both fighting tooth and nail with everything they had. Keerina's blue blade stood out against the orange of the flames beyond, flashing its scintillating presence, its smooth grace mirroring the inner skills of its wielder.   
"Keerina!" Tila-Shen called, helplessly through the flames.   
Kardis, still swinging her red blade with a malevolent grace, reached a three-fingered hand out toward Obi-Wan and Tila-Shen. The Force warned them only a split second before a burning branch fell from directly above them They were forced back about another yard to keep from getting trapped under it and burned.   
As the battle within the burning circle continued to rage on, Obi-Wan spotted Anakin, fully unconscious and laid out in a rather uncomfortable looking position near a tree. A sudden sense of dread built up and he quickly pushed it down, forcing himself to think clearly and find a way in to help both the boy and Keerina. As both he and Tila-Shen cast about for ways through the fire, the only thing they could do was watch the battle within rage on.   
Keerina was obviously beginning to tire and show her age. Her parries and thrusts were slower, less precise. Her crouch wasn't as deep, her slashes not as long. It wasn't long before she was on the defensive.   
Obi-Wan noticed Tila-Shen's distress; she had obviously taken note of her master's state as well.   
Keerina parried several blows, backing up as far as she dared so as to continue to defend the unconscious Anakin. Finally, she had backed as far as she could and her blocked Kardis' vicious overhead slash, locking their lightsabers together very near the hilts in another test of strength.   
Kardis gave a short, sharp, malevolent grin just before she straightened a section of her tail, springing forward and jerking Keerina's saber far over her head and knocking the Jedi slightly off balance.   
A split second before it happened, Obi-Wan sensed it come and trapped Tila-Shen in a desperate, restraining bear hug. The Padawan let out an ear piercing scream of terror.   
Kardis spun her red blade around in a massive vertical arc, neatly severing Keerina's right leg from her hip. The cut continued around and sliced through her saber-bearing arm as well. The Sith caught the Jedi Master in one hand as she fell, mercilessly holding on to her face.   
Tila-Shen beat against Obi-Wan's restraining arms with the butt ends of both her lightsaber and her lightdagger, desperately fighting his grasp and still crying out. Obi-Wan could feel fear, anger, and hate radiating off the Padawan in droves. In that instant, he felt the scream of the end of part of the Unifying Force and the slow fade of a section of the Living Force. Struggling, he pushed aside his own darker emotions, his only concern being the restraining of the distressed apprentice next to him.   
Kardis calmly put away her lightsaber, clipping it to her belt, still holding up the fading Keerina. The Sith cast a wicked grin over her shoulder to the other two Jedi, then turned her attention back to Keerina. Swiftly, she pulled her free hand back, pointing her three fingered, clawed hand directly at the old Knight's chest. It flew forward and went straight through, as if moving through nothing more solid than a liquid. The Sith slowly turned back to Obi-Wan and Tila-Shen, holding up the dead body of the Padawan's beloved master, then shook her hand free, dumping what remained Keerina on the burning forest floor in an unceremonious heap.   
Obi-Wan grabbed a hold of Tila-Shen's head and turned it to face him. He locked eyes with her and accessed the Force. She had finally lost her breath and had stop screaming, whimpering instead. Obi-Wan pushed the Force into her and called out to the calm part of her mind. It was well buried under layers of emotion now, but was easy to get to since she was vulnerable with shock. He gently brought it to the surface and her face went completely blank. Her knees gave way beneath her and Obi-Wan helped her sink to the ground. She looked off into nowhere at all, eyes glazed over, completely inactive.   
Tila-Shen sufficiently hypnotized, Obi-Wan turned back to see what the Sith was doing. The snake creature was gazing directly at him with her two unsettling black orbs of eyes. Her mouth curled on one side into a self-satisfied smirk and she turned to point at the helplessly defenseless Anakin.   
"He's next, you know," she said, "unless you do something, Sith-Killer."   
Silently, still keeping a firm grip on his emotions, Obi-Wan removed his cloak and let it drop to the ground. He lit his lightsaber, Qui-Gon's lightsaber, and regarded the Sith with steel cold eyes.   
"You know who I am, then."   
"And you must understand what I am after."   
"Indeed."   
Obi-Wan waved his free hand and cleared a path using the Force, an unusual amount of concentration suddenly filling his being and casting out all sense of darkness within him. He stepped into the circle of fire and took up a defensive stance, facing off with Kardis. No further words were spoken as they began their dual.   
Meanwhile, Anakin slowly rose to the surface of consciousness. His eyes slowly cracked open and his line of sight was such that he was able to take in the red and green flashes that was the lightsaber battle in front of him. As his vision cleared further, he took note of the severed arm near him, still holding a lit, blue lightsaber. He recognized it as a hand he had held only hours before. His vision expanded again and he spotted the insensate Tila-Shen just outside the ring of fire that was burning around him. For some reason, he fixated on her slumped form. The Force reached out through him and his mind put all these things together.   
The Sith, the one that Obi-Wan was now desperately fighting, had killed Master Keerina.   
At that revelation, something began to grow within him. It spread across him like a blight, eating away at what fragile control he had. Inexplicably, it took the form of a massive monster within his heart. Anakin's eyes locked with Tila-Shen's unresponsive ones and the Force sparked between them.   
Tila-Shen blinked, slowly getting to her feet, holding her two blades ready and silently lighting them. The Force erupted out of her, manifesting itself in a massive, dark wave that funneled in Kardis' direction, knocking Obi-Wan aside and carrying the Sith off into the burning treetops.   
Obi-Wan seemed startled by this and had only an instant to turn off his lightsaber before he hit the ground not far from Anakin. He landed hard on his side and swore he heard something crack. But, quickly assessing the situation, he ignored it. Noting that Kardis was not in sight, he decided that it was time to leave.   
The Knight scooped up his semi-conscious Padawan and took off at a run across the clearing for the hole in the fire ring that he had previously made. He was brought up short when another burning branch fell into the space, blocking them once again. The fire had spread, beginning to shrink their little, clear space, and Obi-Wan found himself suddenly quite drained, concern for the bundle in his arms wracking his mind. With no other choice left to him, Obi-Wan gritted his teeth and dove through the burning wall. A small cry of pain escaped him as he felt the hot tips of the branches dig their way into his skin, but he tumbled through to the other side and regained his feet.   
He nudged Tila-Shen and brought her the rest of the way out of her trance. "We have to get out of here!" he exclaimed.   
Still not quite all the way back, Tila-Shen slowly nodded and began to follow Obi-Wan's lead as they began to run eastward, out of the fire. However, she stopped after only a few steps and turned back to regard the ring of fire.   
"She's coming back," she stated, simply.   
Obi-Wan halted, feeling the heat of the forest fire growing and the fire as a whole spreading. "Tila-Shen, we have to leave, now! Before we can't any more!"   
"I just saw it," she told him in an eerily calm voice, "the Force just showed me." She shook her head and took a step back. "I'll stay here and cover your retreat. Go."   
"Padawan Razeek!" Obi-Wan snapped, hoping to startle her into motion. "This is not a debate! I gave you an order, as a Knight!"   
She shook her head again. "You don't understand. I wasn't meant to leave here." She lit her dagger and held it up her here Padawan braid, cutting it and throwing it into the fires nearby. "I wasn't meant to be a Jedi. Ani! Ani, wake up! I have something important to tell you!"   
In Obi-Wan's arms, Anakin twisted around and looked at Tila-Shen, eyes still half clouded with half consciousness.   
"You will bring balance to the Force. In your own way. You will know the time. When it comes, make sure to listen to your own feelings and not those of others. Redemption lies there." She turned her attention back to Obi-Wan, locking sad eyes with his. "May the Force be with you, Master Kenobi."   
Obi-Wan hesitated, knowing there was nothing he could do any longer. He wanted to return her sentiment, but the Code forbade it. "Fight well, Tila-Shen Razeek," he said, instead.   
She smiled a sad smile of understanding, then turned away from them, silently awaiting what remained of her destiny.   
Kardis returned just as Obi-Wan left, Anakin in his arms and running half blindly through the fires.   
Sith and Padawan stared each other down for several moments, hate bouncing between them the same way the sparks of the fire jumped and crackled around them.   
"Killing for revenge?" Kardis spat out. "Your Jedi Code forbids such an action."   
"You know what?" Tila-Shen responded, shrugging. "Screw it." 

The dry condition of the forest had caused the fires to spread rapidly. It had blossomed out from the ring of fire and was carried on the prevailing eastern winds back toward the farm they had started at a day ago. However, it was the direction Obi-Wan had been forced to go, carrying the small form of his Padawan.   
A wall of flaming bushes blocked his path and he skidded to a halt, casting about for other possible directions he could go. There were none, so he shielded the boy as best he could and dove through the weakest spot. He landed hard, rolling to a stop along the ground and swatting out flames that clung to his tunic. The motion finally jarred Anakin into full wakefulness and he squirmed out of Obi-Wan's grasp.   
"You left them behind!" the boy shouted. "How could you just leave them there? We have to go back and help them."   
"Anakin, there's nothing we can do!" Obi-Wan answered in kind. "We have to get out of here, right now, before we're burned alive!"   
Anakin glared at Obi-Wan, seemingly oblivious to the encroaching flames around them. He stalked up to the Knight, arms flailing wildly and beating at Obi-Wan's chest. "You just left them there! You could have fought that Sith, you've done it before! You could have killed that thing! It deserves to die!"   
Obi-Wan grabbed onto Anakin's small wrists, attempting to arrest his anger-sparked assault on him. "Get a hold of your senses, Padawan!"   
"No!" Anakin screamed, a wave of uncontrolled Force flowing out of him and knocking Obi-Wan back into a smoldering tree. "You could have killed it!"   
Regaining his feet and ignoring his burns and bruises, Obi-Wan stared Anakin down, the Force rippling between them and echoing the leaping sparks and snapping flames of the fires around them. A shadow began t build within the Knight, an echo of that which was beginning to blot out the light in Anakin.   
"Qui-Gon would have killed it!" Anakin continued. "But you just ran away!"   
Obi-Wan covered the expanse between them in only a few long strides. He grabbed Anakin by the shoulders and shook him. "You will not speak of Qui-Gon like that! I will not have it, Anakin!"   
"He was my friend, too!"   
The spark between them jumped and flashed, brightening for but an instant before burning away the darkness in them both. At the same instant, they both felt a surge in the Force that originated from one another and the Unifying Force cooled them both, sucking away the heat, the anger, the pain.   
"He was my friend, too," Anakin repeated, fire shining off the fresh tears in his eyes.   
"Oh Force!" Obi-Wan breathed, embracing the sobbing boy. "This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. It shouldn't have taken this. He might as well have taught me nothing."   
"Obi-Wan," Anakin mumbled into the Knight's shoulder, "we have to go."   
For a moment, Obi-Wan rested his forehead on that of his Padawan. "Then let's go."   
The Force warned him of it before it fell and Obi-Wan only had an instant drop to the ground and cover Anakin before a massive branch broke free of the tree that was disintegrating above them. He gave out a cry of pain as the burning mass crashed into him, white-hot heat licking at his back. Covering Anakin as best he could and pushing outward with the Force, he shook them both free and rolled clear, feeling a stab of pain from his ribcage. He ignored it, though, and forced himself to his feet. He staggered for a moment before a felt a small hand on his elbow.   
"Obi-Wan!" Anakin exclaimed, obvious worry coloring his tone.   
The Knight placed a firm hand on Anakin's shoulder and motioned him along. They ran a few steps before Obi-Wan jerked him to a stop and covered Anakin's face with a sleeve as more burning wood fell from above. They stumbled along like that for a long time, the Force guiding their path and Obi-Wan's reflexes filling in for Anakin's lack of experience.   
Finally, they stumbled out of the woods and tumbled down the western embankment of the farm just outside Bellici. The fire had spread to some of the dried out remains of crops, but wasn't getting far because of patches of long neglected dirt.   
Anakin was first on his feet and covered the small distance between where he was and where Obi-Wan was still on the ground, breathing hard and struggling to get up. Wordlessly, he helped his master to his feet and put his shoulder under one of the Knight's elbows. They slowly made their way back toward Bellici and Anakin couldn't help but noticed that Obi-Wan's steps were slow, careful, deliberate.   
It took them nearly two hours, but they finally reached the village. The place was teeming with activity, the whole community bustling about in an attempt to control the fire that was beginning to spread across the open prairies and threaten the town itself. Obi-Wan was leaning heavily on Anakin by now and once they were seen by several of the Belliceans, he finally lost his footing and fell to the ground.   
Anakin crouched down next to Obi-Wan as several of the Algerogans hurried up to them. Finding his master unconscious, the boy looked around from face to face, imploring them for help.   
Wonder of wonders, he found it in both Minister Kalicutt and Galagyula, who came up to the two Jedi at once, differences obviously set aside for the moment. The two politicians both cleared the crowd aside and joined Anakin by Obi-Wan's side.   
"He's hurt!" Anakin exclaimed. "We got caught in the fire!"   
"_Issa-naa_!" Kalicutt breathed. "He did getting burns all over!"   
"We can take him to the clinic," Galagyula commanded, waiving to one of the Belliceans near by who came to assist. Between the two of them, they pulled the unconscious Obi-Wan up onto their shoulders. Anakin followed only a step behind as they made their way off the streets.   



	3. Stars in Ascendence part 1

A Simple Mission   
By Berzerker_prime 

Summary: Obi-Wan and Anakin have escaped the fire, but at what cost? Where is the Sith and what is she up to? And what will the Master-Padawan pair do now that they're flying solo?

Chapter Three:   
Stars in Ascendance

**AN: **Okay, okay, okay, I know, I know. I took too blasted long with this part. Well, truth be told, I'm still not done with it. This part, as it's going up now, is only about halfway finished. But, I've finally reached a so-so pausing place, and I'm feeling really really bad for leaving you all with the cliffhanger that was the end of the last chapter, so I'm posting this chapter fragment.   
Don't get me wrong, it's still fairly lengthy. It's just... not at the end yet. ^_^;   
I'm still working out a few details for the end. After having read the Jedi Quest novels, there's stuff from them I want to incorporate. I'm working on making it all work out. What can I say? I'm a canon freak, I guess.   
Anywho, thanks for waiting so long and apollogies.   
Berz. 

*********   


_ Finally! He finally understood what his master had been trying to tell him. Once again, floating among the stars, looking out, down, up, all at once, he held the bright star in his hand. He had taken it._   
_ It was warm, understanding light that reached out to him, filled him with a certain sense of accomplishment and responsibility. It was not pride; Jedi were never prideful, it led to mistakes._   
_ He held the star to his forehead and let its light fill him, give him strength. And he offered it his own strength as well, whispering to it softly, promising it that he would help it fight the dark around it. They would do it together, as it should be._   
_ Finally! That was how it would be, finally!_   
_ All the smaller stars around them both faded and went dark, one by one. He held his star close, protecting it from the darkness, reaching out to it with his own thoughts. But the star was no longer there. Instead, a long thread laid across the palm of his open hand, glistening in its own radiance._   
_ "We are bound together," a small voice whispered from the darkness, "we form a circle that cannot be broken. Not in light. Not in darkness. Not in balance."_   
_ The thread pulled him and he plunged into deep, dark water and he struggled to find purchase. He wasn't sure what he was struggling against, but whatever it was, it held the impressive weight of the looming future. The thread gave him power and he felt himself grow even stronger than it was. And yet, the thread remained._   
_ "You are the end of the story which begins the next great story," the voice of his master told him._   
_ The star returned to him, two smaller stars orbiting it, their combined light smaller than his star._   
_ He could help them._   
_ He focused within on the light the star had given him and found only his own light. He called it forth and the water burned away. His energies went to the two smaller stars, enlivening them with new fire and light._   
_ "They are the new fire, and you are the spark," came the voice of a friend._   
_ "Awaken and face it," came the voice of an old teacher, "begin with your star, now that it is with you."_   
_ He felt heavy, yet he rose to the surface of the fire and the water, breaking into the light._

Obi-Wan slowly allowed his eyes to open, breaking out of the darkness that had been unconsciousness. The first sensation he felt was a dull pain in his side. It was followed closely by a general, prickling warmth which concentrated itself on his back and on his arms.   
Experimentally, he lifted his head up to observe his surroundings. He found that his chest was expertly wrapped in white bandages and that he had been placed in a bed more comfortable than he was used to. Blankets covered him generously.   
Anakin was there, of course, head resting on a relatively empty space on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Obi-Wan gave a faint smile, almost not wanting to wake him up. But the boy looked as though he had spent quite a bit of time there and the Knight could only figure it was because he had been worried.   
Besides, Obi-Wan wanted to find out just where they were and how long ago they had gotten there.   
Reluctantly, he reached a hand over and gently ruffled the sleeping boy's hair. Anakin snapped to attention, shooting his head up and looking at Obi-Wan with startled, worried eyes. Obi-Wan smiled and sent as much reassurance through the training bond as he could.   
Training bond… it had formed, at last.   
Anakin's face brightened and his eyes danced. "You're awake!" he exclaimed, launching himself off the chair he had been sleeping in and latching himself onto Obi-Wan in a hug.   
Something shifted in Obi-Wan's ribcage and he suppressed a yelp. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ani! Ani! Not so hard!" Anakin quickly backed off, an apologetic look on his face. "Oh, good Force, that hurts! What is that?"   
"They said you broke two of your right ribs," Anakin blurted, "and you had a lot of burns, mostly second stage and some third stage, and-"   
Obi-Wan held up a hand. "Slow down, Anakin. I just woke up! I'm not really a morning person."   
"But it's afternoon."   
"Details, details. But, where are we, anyway? And how long have I been unconscious?"   
"In the details, the Force is, young Obi-Wan," came a voice from the door to the room they were in. Gimer stick clacking against the floor as he approached, Yoda entered and hopped up onto the chair Anakin had been in minutes before to regard the both of them. "In the city of Bellici, we are," he stated, "and unconscious for a day and a half, you have been."   
"I contacted the Council, Master," Anakin explained, "I didn't know what else to do."   
Obi-Wan nodded. "It was probably the wisest course of action. You made a very good choice, Padawan."   
"Wiser than some Knights I know, was he in the matter," Yoda agreed, then moved on to other things, "explained to us the situation, your Padawan did. Quite burned, were you."   
"They had you in a bacta tank for a while, though," said Anakin, "it healed those right up."   
"And the fire?"   
"Still burning," stated Yoda, shaking his head grimly "water to put it out, the town cannot spare."   
"I think I know where to find some, Master," Obi-Wan said, "Anakin and I were attacked while investigating a farm outside of town, near the forest. There's some sort of a machine there. I believe it may be pumping water out of the entire area and filtering it down toward the molten planet core."   
"Curious, this is," Yoda commented, "a reason for causing such a natural disaster on purpose, I cannot see."   
"Has there been any sign of the Sith?"   
"None."   
"I think it's still here," Anakin put in, garnering him two surprised looks, "I can feel it."   
Obi-Wan looked to Yoda for confirmation, but the little, green Master of Jedi only shook his head, indicating that he could not confirm. Instead, Obi-Wan turned back to Anakin and put a hand on his shoulder.   
"Listen to me, Anakin, I want you to concentrate. I want you to show me what you feel."   
"How do I do that?"   
For an instant, Obi-Wan was tempted to look to Yoda for an answer to Anakin's question. But he clamped down on the flash of uncertainty before it made its way along the bond and the boy felt it. He pushed it aside and carefully replaced it with the same affection he had felt from Qui-Gon during his own lessons. He allowed this to flow freely and Anakin looked at him in amazement.   
"You feel that, then?" Obi-Wan asked. Anakin nodded. "Follow it back and carry what you felt along with it." The Padawan nodded again and closed his eyes in concentration, as if having to brace himself for the images he had seen.   
Suddenly, a darkness raged along the training bond and hit Obi-Wan with a force so powerful he felt as though he had been hit in the jaw by a rather large Wookie. It very nearly laid him out once again but he pushed back against it in the last second and made it swerve to the side where he could observe and not feel it. Still, it pushed against him and Obi-Wan knew he had only a limited amount of time before he would have to banish it from himself completely.   
It was a black star that blotted out all serenity, hate-filled and spiteful. It sought him out hungrily, angrily. It was not far off, waiting for him… for them… waiting…   
… nearby.   
Yoda, who had been watching the both of them put one hand on each of their arms. Both Obi-Wan and Anakin felt a soothing wave of the Force come toward them and they readily accepted it, allowing it to chase away the darkness that was chasing them. Once the Master was certain both his students were in control once again, he looked to Obi-Wan.   
"He's right," Obi-Wan stated around a calming breath, "I felt it, the Sith is still here."   
Yoda leaned heavily on his gimer stick and regarded the two of them with trepidation. "Disturbing this is. Not finished is the Sith's work here. What is the creature after, I wonder."   
"Revenge," the Knight stated which caused Yoda to cock an eyebrow at him in a gesture asking for elaboration, "when we fought, she mentioned knowing that I was the one who killed that Sith on Naboo a year ago. She must have some connection to him."   
"But explain her motives in causing famine here, it does not," Yoda pointed out, "something more to this ordeal, there is."   
"Master Yoda, there's more," Obi-Wan segued, "I assume Anakin told you about Master Keerina and Padawan Razeek?"   
"Yes, a tragedy is their loss."   
Obi-Wan shook his head. "It isn't just that. Tila-Shen may have fallen to the Dark Side, master. Anger ruled the last thoughts that she allowed me to sense through the Force. I believe she gave in to her anger over the death of Master Keerina. But… was the Council aware she was a Diviner?"   
Yoda sighed and leaned heavily on his gimer stick, the sharp creases of concern in his forehead deepening. "Aware we were," he said after a substantial hesitation, "that she could calm her fears from her visions, Keerina thought. Troubling it is that she failed." He shook his head warily. "How distressing the visions must have been."   
"She was afraid," Anakin put in, suddenly, looking from Knight to Master and back again, "is this what you meant, Master Yoda? Fear leads to anger?"   
Yoda's ears perked up slightly as he looked at the boy. "Precisely, young Skywalker," he said, "seen the Dark Side at work now, you have. Understand you now why mindful a Jedi must be?"   
"Yes sir."   
"Then learned a hard lesson is," Yoda replied, gravely, "deal with your realization now you must. The full training bond with Obi-Wan you now have. Learn from him you can. To quiet your mind he will help you." He hopped off the chair and began to wander out of the room. "Meantime, continue our investigation we will."   
"Master Yoda," Obi-Wan called after him, "who's 'we'?"   
"Masters Windu and Mundi. Accompanied me they did."   
Obi-Wan leaned his head back into his pillows and looked up to the ceiling in embarrassment. "How many of the Council came after me?"   
"Only we three," Yoda affirmed, "but sent a representative Master Gallia did."   
"Siri," Obi-Wan moaned, covering his face with a hand.   
Yoda allowed himself a small chuckle, taking note that it seemed to surprise young Anakin. "Rest now you must. Your urges to run for the hills you will not be allowed to entertain, Obi-Wan."   
As Yoda left, Anakin resituated himself on the bed next to Obi-Wan and looked up at the Knight curiously. "Master, who's Siri?"   
Obi-Wan sighed. "Siri and I go back a ways. We were classmates years ago."   
"You'll probably be happy to see her again, then, right?"   
"Well," Obi-Wan ventured, "let's just say that when it comes to Siri I'm still working on the patience thing. I'm sure she'll think that… we are… simply a… precious pair. But, that's not important right now. Anakin, I owe you an apology."   
Anakin blinked, not fully following the sudden change in topic. "What for?" he asked.   
"The past year. I've been wrapped up in… things, issues, feelings of my own. I built a wall around myself a year ago and it's been in the way without my noticing it."   
Anakin got off the bed and went over to a table across the room where he picked up something from it and went back over to the bed. "This is about Qui-Gon, isn't it," he said, handing the object to Obi-Wan. The Knight found it to be Qui-Gon's lightsaber which Obi-Wan had been carrying for the past year since he had lost his own. Anakin neatly folded his hands in his lap and looked at them studiously. "He was kind of like your dad, right? I mean, I always saw him looking at you the same way mom looked at me. And I wouldn't want anyone to mess with that, either. So if you want me to-"   
He was silenced by Obi-Wan's firm hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he found the Knight smiling at him, having set the lightsaber aside on the nightstand next to the bed. "I don't ever want you to feel as though you have to suggest that. It's true, I wasn't exactly enamored of having Qui-Gon leave you to me at first, but… you're a very wonderful boy, Anakin. And if anyone ever tries to tell you differently, all you'll ever need to do is seek out our bond and you'll know at once that it isn't true."   
"Kay."   
Carefully, Obi-Wan shifted to the side and motioned Anakin to lean against the pillows next to him on his good side. The boy obliged and Obi-Wan put an arm around him. "When the Apprentice teaches the Master in return, the pairing is right," Obi-Wan stated.   
Anakin shifted, getting comfortable while still being careful not to jar Obi-Wan's healing body. After a long moment of silence, he spoke up again, sleep coloring his tone. "Master?"   
"Yes, Anakin?"   
"Do you still miss Qui-Gon?"   
"All the time. Just like you miss your mother."   
"Do you think that's something we could work on together?"   
"That would be a singular pleasure, young one."   
"You know something?"   
"What?"   
"I'm glad you're my Master."   
Obi-Wan looked down at the boy by his side and noticed that he had drifted off to a peaceful slumber, his last admission trailing off as he did.   
"I am too," he agreed. 

It was another day and a half before the Algerogan healers, the three Jedi Council members and Anakin let Obi-Wan get out of the clinic. Even so, Mace Windu had told him, in no uncertain terms, that he was not to do any investigating into the Sith matter and was to take it slow and rest. Yoda, Ki-Adi, and Mace were looking into the matter instead.   
In more than one instance, Obi-Wan was grateful for the break from the Algerogan affairs. As soon as the hidden water had been unearthed and the fire quelled, Kalicutt and Galagyula had returned to their opposite sides of the political fence and more than once Obi-Wan had observed their bickering trying the patience of the normally perfectly serene Ki-Adi.   
Obi-Wan decided to take his break as a chance to rethink his teaching strategies when it came to Anakin's training. The two had talked and debated between themselves until finally they believed they had come to a reasonable arrangement. Presently, they were working on Anakin's favorite part of Jedi training; the lightsaber. It had been preceded by meditation and it would be followed by it as well, Obi-Wan having explained his concern to Anakin about the Padawan's focus. The two of them had managed to find a fairly private corner in the residence of the mayor of Bellici, which was being used as headquarters for the current events that were transpiring. It was a small cloister in the middle of the complex that had been used as a garden in previous years but was relatively unremarkable this year due to the drought.   
Anakin moved through a practice kata that Obi-Wan had taught him and the Knight watched, not saying a word until the Padawan had finished.   
"You skipped a whole section," Obi-Wan stated when Anakin had finished. He felt a flash of uncertainty come to him through the bond.   
"Uh… the Force moved me?" Anakin offered.   
"Nice try. But I used that with my master and it didn't work either."   
Anakin shrugged. "It was worth a shot. But, I can never remember that one part, right after that parry and lunge. It always seems like I should jump ahead."   
Obi-Wan unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and turned it on to low power. Taking up a stance in front of Anakin, he lit it. "Follow along with me. We'll go slowly."   
"Sure," Anakin acknowledged, mimicking Obi-Wan's stance.   
They launched into the kata, fluidly but slowly, Anakin following the sequence a step behind Obi-Wan. They had almost gotten to the problem area of the kata when a woman's voice spoke up from the corner of the wall that outlined the garden of the mayor's residence.   
"Like Master, like Padawan; Obi-Wan Kenobi is disobeying the council and is not resting."   
Obi-Wan, who had been carefully focused on the kata, suddenly lost his footing and toppled slightly, his down swinging lightsaber scraping along the brick patio and leaving a black mark there. He abruptly stopped the kata and froze, back to the sudden intrusion and a less-than-thrilled look on his face.   
"Hello, Siri," he moaned around a sigh.   
"Well don't be so thrilled to see me," she responded, sarcasm dripping from her tone.   
"If you wish," Obi-Wan responded thumbing off his lightsaber. He motioned for Anakin to do the same as Siri and a girl who looked to be about fourteen approached them.   
"So, the Council sends you to deal with famine, you end up the harbinger of doom, once again," Siri stated evenly, "what is it with you and the Sith, Kenobi?"   
Obi-Wan bit his lower lip and shook his head. "Thirty three seconds, that's a new record. I thought absence was supposed to make the heart grow fonder."   
Siri curiously looked to Anakin who was keeping strategically behind Obi-Wan in an effort not to get in the middle of the sparks he was sensing come off the two Knights. "Is this the Chosen One I've heard so much about?"   
Obi-Wan motioned the boy forward and clutched both of Anakin's shoulders. "This is my Padawan, Anakin Skywalker," Obi-Wan corrected, pointedly. "Anakin, this is Knight Siri, my old… classmate."   
Siri seemed unfazed by the correcting tone. Instead, she introduced the young lady behind her. "This is my own Padawan Learner, Lana," she stated.   
"Hi," Anakin said, in a jovial tone. To his relief, Lana returned his greeting smile.   
"Hello," she said.   
Obi-Wan and Siri, however, didn't launch into similar pleasantries and somehow, Anakin could sense that they wanted a moment alone to speak. So, he suggested a game of sabaac and soon the two Padawans were off in another section of the garden away from the Knights.   
"I'll thank you not to refer to Anakin as the Chosen One," Obi-Wan stated once the apprentices were out of earshot, "it makes him very uncomfortable."   
"Regardless of how he feels, it's what he is," Siri argued, "he has a destiny that may be greater than all the Jedi combined and he should be made to face that."   
Obi-Wan decided to let the issue drop and instead gestured to Lana. "Is that…?"   
"The same."   
"But last time I saw her, she was…" He held up his hands about a foot and a half apart and let the statement trail off.   
Siri mimicked it. "This big, yes. But that was thirteen years ago on Kegan."   
"And now, she's your Padawan."   
"I guess it was the will of the Force for us to be the ones who found her back then."   
Obi-Wan blew out his cheeks and sat down on the edge of a nearby planter. Siri sat down next him, carefully arranging her cloak as she did. "In any case, I never thought I'd feel old at twenty-six," he said.   
"You're not going to grow a beard on me, are you?"   
"Of course not; a beard would look terrible on you."   
Siri opened her mouth and rolled her eyes, feeling the inside of her mouth with her tongue and nodding sarcastically. "Three minutes, twenty-four seconds," she stated.   
"Who's counting?"   
"Not me."   
"Not me."   
They both sighed.   
"Five seconds," they said in unison. A second later, they both turned their gaze to each other and shared a short laugh. Siri leaned back on her hands and Obi-Wan rested his elbows on his knees, shaking his head.   
"Force, Siri, it's good to see you again," he said, "I haven't had a descent match of wits since Qui-Gon died."   
"I heard about Naboo," she said, "I would have come by to see you at the Temple, but the Council has kept Lana and me quite busy." She sighed. "That's no excuse. So, how are you? Adi says that you've been moping about the Temple for the past year with a shadow rather than a Padawan."   
Obi-Wan nodded in understanding. "This mission has managed to… clarify a few things for both Anakin and myself. He is my Padawan. I just wish it hadn't taken the loss of Keerina and Tila-Shen to do it." He paused and shook his head. "Qui-Gon may have thought me ready for the trials, but… a Padawan? This Padawan? There are days that I just don't know what I'm doing. Some days, Anakin's skills are present in full and they make my head spin. Other days, he shows less skill than a third year crèche youngling. It's frustrating, but I know without a doubt that our pairing is right."   
"And you worry about what that means for the boy's future."   
"I wonder," he corrected, "I wonder what the Force has in store for him. Can it be the Force's will for something to go wrong?"   
There was a sudden rustling behind him and a brown, dried out branch of leaves whipped across the back of Obi-Wan's skull. Siri showed him the branch, then tossed it aside. "Worry a Jedi should not," she exclaimed, doing her best imitation of Yoda, which wasn't particularly an accurate one.   
"Why Siri, what would Master Gallia say if she knew you were mocking members of the Council?"   
"She'd say it was about time I lightened up, anyway."   
Obi-Wan blinked at her, looking at her for several moments in disbelief, wondering if this was indeed the same young Jedi who had reprimanded him at age eleven for not being committed to the Jedi Code. "This is turning out to be a conversation to remember," he finally stated.   
"If you repeat any of this to my Padawan I'll just be forced to tell yours about a certain incident involving paint and a Senate taxi."   
"Don't give him ideas. And that was an accident."   
"So it was. What's your point?"   
"You're incorrigible."   
"It's my best quality." She carefully smoothed out her cloak once again in a gesture that suggested she was changing the topic once more. "Master Windu has decided that it would be best if you were to finish this mission with Anakin. You know more details than Lana and I do, so you would be best to interact with the Algerogans. So, I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that the two of us will be heading back to Coruscant tomorrow."   
"Delighted? To lose your company?" Obi-Wan asked in mock incredulity, "whatever do you mean?"   
"Who's incorrigible now?"   
"Well, in any case, I just hope this isn't an indication of what all my missions with Anakin are going to be like," Obi-Wan said with a short chuckle, "you're right, the Sith do seem to follow us everywhere we…" Suddenly, he stopped, the thought trickling through his brain and his face brightening as if a glow rod had turned on over his head.   
"Obi-Wan?" Siri inquired.   
"Wait, what if that's it?"   
"What is?"   
"She said it. She came right out and said it."   
"Who?"   
"The Sith. She didn't deny knowing who I was and she didn't deny my suspicions on what she was after."   
"Whoa, back up, will ya'? What did you say she was after?"   
Obi-Wan got up off his perch on the planter and began to pace back and forth. "That's what this is about. That Sith wants me, she wants revenge for the Sith on Naboo. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering which leads back to fear and anger and on and on and a Sith won't care how it happens or who it affects as long as it does. Siri! I've been thinking too much like a Jedi!"   
"And now you're thinking like a lunatic. I'm not following you."   
"Think about it. I've spent the past year in the Temple, beyond their reach. They needed to lure me out, away from Coruscant, so what better way than a planet in distress. But it had to be a fairly routine distress or the Council would have sent someone with more experience."   
"Still, there are a number of others who could have gone instead. How could the Sith have known the Council would send you and Anakin?"   
"But you're forgetting; I was requested."   
"By Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who I doubt is-"   
"Who speaks to the Council on behalf of worlds requesting Jedi assistance."   
"So, the request ultimately came from here." Siri said, her eyes widening with realization. "Someone in the Algerog government sent for you."   
"This is it, this is the key to the puzzle." Obi-Wan turned toward the two apprentices who were still embroiled in their game of sabaac. "Anakin, we have work, come along!" he exclaimed, then turned back to Siri. "Ask Master Windu to allow you and Lana to remain on Algerog, I…"   
Siri waited, expectantly. "Go on, you can say it."   
Obi-Wan cleared his throat and his tone dropped. "I may need your help."   
"That wasn't so bad was it?"   
"Siri, you've been a wonderful focusing aide," Obi-Wan stated, excitement coloring his tone. Without a further word, he grabbed her head and kissed her full on the mouth before darting away, knowing that it would leave her speechless enough not to get the last say in. Anakin followed behind him a by a few steps and they both jogged inside the mayor's residence to find Master Yoda and Master Mundi.   
"What was that all about?" Lana asked.   
Siri blinked and finally regained a modicum of composure, knowing that in the very last instant, Obi-Wan had managed to best her once again. "Just the ravings of a mad man," she finally said, then sighed, "even for an apprentice of Qui-Gon Jinn… he's nuts." 

Anakin very nearly ran right into his master when the elder Jedi came to a dead stop in a doorway. As it was, Anakin skidded about a foot and a half before coming to a complete stop. An instant later, Obi-Wan was again in motion, on his way through the door into one of the offices of the mayor's residence.   
"Master Yoda!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "I think that I may have… oops."   
This time, Anakin did run into Obi-Wan.   
"Hey!" Anakin exclaimed, rubbing his sore nose and shooting a slightly irate glare at Obi-Wan. However, it dissolved in an instant when he looked around his master and found four pairs of eyes looking at them with less than enthusiasm.   
Not only was Yoda present, but he was accompanied by Ki-Adi Mundi, Minister Kalicutt, and Galagyula. They had obviously been engaged in a conversation and Obi-Wan had apparently interrupted one or more of them.   
The young Knight's expression abruptly turned to a nervous grin and he dropped into a courteous bow. "Apologies Masters, Minister, Mister Galagyula," he practically stammered out. When he noticed that Anakin wasn't following suit, he pushed the youngster into a bow with one hand. When they both came up again, he found himself staring straight into the eyes of Master Mundi. Obi-Wan's nervous grin deepened.   
"I haven't seen that look in your eye in a very long time, Jedi Kenobi," Mundi stated, serenely, "you would do well to recall Master Qui-Gon's teachings about it."   
"Of course, Master Mundi," Obi-Wan responded, "thank you for the reminder." Clearing his throat somewhat uncomfortably, he glanced down at Anakin for an instant.   
"Since you two are here, you may as well join the conversation," Mundi said, returning to his place with Yoda and the Algerogans, "we were just discussing the machine you found that was causing the drought. Most curious."   
"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed as he joined the group with Anakin in tow, "it puzzles me as to how it could have gotten there without anyone noticing."   
"Ah!" Yoda exclaimed, raising one finger of his tri-digited hand into the air. "Just so, the issue is. Two possibilities, there are."   
"One possibility!" Kalicutt corrected, somewhat irately, "Prime Minister being above such doings! All ministers being above! Crusaders willing to trying any doings to achieving their goals!" The minister pointedly turned his gaze to Galagyula.   
The shorter Algerogan made a disgruntled "harrumph" and turned his nose into the air slightly. "If anyone from Bellici is involved, they are not a Crusader. My people do not endanger innocents. We lobby. That is all."   
"And your past doing of attacking military outposts?"   
"In the past, minister. That is in the past. However, here and now, the central government sees a province where they are losing control because they will not listen to the people."   
"Belliceans do voting, as everyone else doing on Algerog!"   
"Without proper representation! When was the last time you bothered with a census around here?"   
"Gentlemen," Obi-Wan finally decided to interrupt, "this is all very fascinating, and perhaps you should consider a… no, several negotiating sessions to deal with these issues. But for now, we must investigate the issues that are putting your people at risk."   
Kalicutt and Galagyula looked at Obi-Wan, then at each other stupidly for a moment.   
"Massa Jedi having a point," Kalicutt admitted, shrugging to Galagyula.   
"Yes," Galagyula snorted, "and as I hear they say on Coruscant, if he wears a hat it won't show. All you Republicans, always sticking together to get what you want. One day someone is going to tear apart this decadent system of corruption and kick-backs that you have and then we will see who understands the people. And I get the feeling that the Jedi will be first up against the wall when the revolution comes." With that, Galagyula summoned up his legendary penchant for abrupt exits and stalked out of the room.   
In response, Kalicutt shrugged in apology to the Jedi. "I being sorry for that," he said and took his own leave.   
"Ruthlessly opinionated," Anakin murmured.   
"This is not what I came to this planet prepared to do," Obi-Wan moaned, his shoulders slumping in defeat and his hands massaging his temples in an effort to soothe the stress headache that was building there.   
"I don't get it," Anakin stated, looking from Knight to Master to Master and back again, "Galagyula wasn't this annoying two days ago when Master Obi-Wan and I got back to town. It seemed like he genuinely wanted to help us, then. What's changed?"   
"He's a politician," Obi-Wan responded, shrugging as if it were that simple. Anakin expected more of an explanation, but there was none. Mundi and Yoda seemed not to mind, however, and continued on with the conversation.   
"Most distressing, this is," Yoda said, shaking his head, "if unable to work together Kalicutt and Galagyula are, be able to effectively investigate in Bellici, we will not."   
"This issue would be solved if we were able to determine who helped the Sith construct the drought machine," Mundi stated, "but then, of course, we would know where the Sith is and what she is up to and it would be a non-issue."   
"What if she put the machine there all by herself?" Anakin asked. "Why does anyone have to have helped her at all?"   
"Unlikely, that is," Yoda reasoned, "Help for her plan, she needs. Or use Silias Maht and Lapramiz Tul, she would not have."   
Obi-Wan shook his head in momentary confusion. "I'm sorry. Lapramiz…?"   
"The assassin that attacked you at the farm," Mundi told him, "they identified him as Lapramiz Tul of Corellia, a professional assassin who had gone to ground for quite a while. Most accounts said that he had retired."   
"What's he doing here?" Anakin asked. "And if he was just a hired gun, why kill himself when he was caught?"   
"Anakin, tell me," Obi-Wan instructed, folding his arms into the sleeves of his robe, "do you believe in anything?"   
The boy blinked at the seemingly unrelated question. "Yes, but I don't see-"   
"How deeply? What would you do to defend what you believe in?"   
"I suppose I would… fight for it, I guess."   
Obi-Wan nodded, apparently having received the answer he wanted. He knelt down in front of the boy and put a hand on his shoulder in what Anakin realized was a gesture of support. Obi-Wan was about to talk about something he thought might make Anakin uncomfortable. "Now, recall a year ago, back on Tatooine, when Qui-Gon first came to Mos Espa and found you. You and your mother were the only ones who knew Qui-Gon was a Jedi Knight. And you left with him. Everyone else in Mos Espa does not know that you have come to be a Jedi. What do you suppose they think happened?"   
Anakin shrugged, trying to feign unconcern in the presence of the two council members, but knowing full well he probably wasn't doing a very good job of it. "I dunno," he admitted, "maybe they thought Qui-Gon bought me or won me from Watto." He sighed and looked to the floor sadly. "Which I suppose isn't too far from the truth, when you think about it."   
Obi-Wan put a hand under Anakin's chin and lifted the boy's face back to his gaze. "Qui-Gon did what he did in order to free you, Anakin. You're no longer a slave, not to anyone. You're a Jedi of your own free will. But my point is that everyone back on Tatooine may assume differently because they don't have all the facts. As a Jedi, we must never assume anything. Different points of view yield different stories to the same situation."   
"So… we shouldn't assume that Lapramiz Tul was just a hired gun?" Anakin asked.   
"Exactly right," Obi-Wan said, giving Anakin's braid a gentle tug and smiling, "we'll have you thinking like a Jedi yet, young one."   
Yoda nodded and gave one of his groans of approval. "Obi-Wan, glad I am to see that you are yourself once again," he stated, "passionate. Engaged in the situation once again. Watched you grow up, I did. Always when a loved one you lost, withdrew from yourself you did. Much good it does my heart to see your old look to your eyes returned. Much better teacher you are that way, I think. But… a small consequence of the main problem, Lapramiz Tul is. What is the Sith after? And who helps her?"   
"I may have some insight into that, Master," Obi-Wan stated, "she is after me, of that I am certain. Her own words corroborate that." He stood back up to his full height so as to include Ki-Adi in the conversation once more and folded his arms back into his cloak. "But to get me here and not someone else, someone from the Algerogan government had to have requested me. Thus, whomever is working with the Sith has to be someone high enough in the political structure to speak directly to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. This limits it to the Prime Minister, his cabinet, and the highest ranking members of local governments."   
"Includes Galagyula, this does," Yoda agreed, "but many people it is, still."   
Obi-Wan nodded. "But we can narrow it down further. Keerina and I decided not to make it widely known that we were going to Bellici, yet the Sith came here. She has instituted other disasters in other parts of the world, so why did she come here to confront us?"   
"Someone told her we were coming!" Anakin exclaimed.   
"Which leaves three people; the Prime Minister, Minister Kalicutt, and Galagyula."   
"But which one?" Ki-Adi put in. "We can narrow it no further than that. And even if we could, that would not be enough to draw out the Sith once more. We must deal with her if we are to stop the famine she is causing on this planet."   
"Masters, if you'll permit," Obi-Wan said, "I have a plan." 

Water was flowing in the fountain of the town square once again. It was a welcome sight to Obi-Wan's eyes. It meant that Bellici would be prosperous again in short order. True, it was late in the season for the summer crops, but Bellici was close enough to the equator of Algerog that different crops could grow year round.   
As for the Sith drought machine, Galagyula had his people taking it apart as soon as he could. But somehow, Obi-Wan doubted that scrutiny of the machine's parts would yield any useful information. The Sith and her help would have seen to that.   
"You seem pretty sure of yourself," Siri said to him as they walked through the town square toward Galagyula's residence, "considering that you don't know if this plan of yours will work or not."   
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at her. "What makes you think that I don't think it'll work?"   
She gave him a skeptic look, but never broke her pace. "You're making those ripples in the Force that you always make when you come up with a hair-brained scheme. I know it when I sense it. It's the same thing you've always had ever since that crazy plan to get into the reeducation center on Kegan."   
"I was fourteen, then, Siri. I'd like to think I control that it bit better now."   
"You do," she conceded, "but I've been on enough missions with you that, like I said, I know it when I sense it."   
"We do seem to work well together," Obi-Wan agreed.   
"Don't get sappy on me."   
"Wouldn't dream of it."   
They finished their conversation just as they came to a halt in front of Galagyula's door. Obi-Wan reached for the knocker and banged it against the wooden door three times. Shortly, Galagyula came to the door.   
"Oh, it's you," he groaned upon seeing them, "what can I do to help you now? Betray my cause for a price? Disappear under suspicious circumstances? Promise you my firstborn?"   
"We don't steal children," Siri snapped before Obi-Wan could stop her.   
"We came to find out what you've learned, if anything, from the drought machine," Obi-Wan stated, neutrally.   
"Nothing of consequence," Galagyula answered curtly, "all the parts are common ones manufactured right here on Algerog. Anyone could get them. Are you quite finished with me, now?"   
"For now," said Obi-Wan, taking a small piece of paper out of the pocket of his tunic. He handed it to Galagyula. "We will be leaving Bellici before the day is out. This is where you can contact us. We would appreciate it if you would let us know if you find anything of interest."   
Galagyula skimmed over the paper. "Cheminarinie, huh? Going to check out the flooding in the North, then?"   
"We suspect the Sith may be doing something similar to what she was doing here," Siri stated, "except in reverse. It seemed a logical place to begin our search."   
"And… all seven of you Jedi are going?"   
"There is little else we can do here," Obi-Wan pointed out with a shrug.   
"Hmph. Well, at least you'll be out of my hair, then. Be gone with you. And good riddance." And with yet another abrupt conversation ending, he closed his door and shut the Jedi out on his front step.   
Siri put her hands on her hips, indignantly. "You know, I'm getting really tired of this guy's attitude."   
"Patience," Obi-Wan said as he turned to leave, "we must have patience."   
"You talking to me or to yourself?"   
"Yes."   
"Are you certain Anakin knows what he's doing?"   
"Positive. He understands the situation completely. We can trust him to accomplish his goal."   
"There's that ripple again."   
"Don't start with me." 

Anakin made a very loud, disgruntled noise at the screen in front of him. Despite the fact that he was a Jedi and technically wasn't supposed to react in such a way, he pulled back a fist and slammed it into the wall to let out some of his frustration.   
The travel information terminal in the mayor's residence was in Algerogan. Anakin didn't know Algerogan. At least, not well enough to be able to navigate it very well. It had already taken him four times as long as it would normally to exchange information with it and he was only about two-thirds of the way through the process.   
His frustrated ravings caught the attention of the passing Kalicutt and the minister made his way over to the boy, curiously.   
"Young Massa Jedi?" he inquired. "What doing?"   
Startled by the Algerogan's approach, Anakin whirled around to face the minister. Upon noticing who it was, he dropped into a respectful bow. "Sorry, Minister Kalicutt," he said, "I hope I didn't disturb you."   
"You setting up travel plans? To Viffidas? I did thinking Massa Jedis going to Cheminarinie in north. Viffidas being in east. Having diseased livestock der."   
"Well uh…" Anakin stammered. "We just thought that, well… we'd make a stopover on our way and… you know… look around a bit."   
"Viffidas being in opposite direction from Cheminarinie."   
Anakin sighed, defeated by Kalicutt's sharp observation. "Well, sir, the truth is, we're going to Viffidas instead. We wanted to keep it a secret so that the Sith wouldn't know we went and we could investigate without her interference. They sent me to make the travel plans because I wouldn't attract attention."   
"_Issa_! I understanding!" Kalicutt exclaimed around a laugh. "Being good thing you only did attracting me, den. Your secret being safe with Kalicutt, Young Massa Jedi."   
Anakin's eyes lit up, hopefully. "Really? You promise you won't tell anyone, not even the Prime Minister?"   
"I promising. And Kalicutt always keeping promise to young ones."   
Anakin bowed again, a grin a mile wide on his face. "Thank you, sir. We're all really grateful for your help."   
"Safe journeying to you."   
His apparent curiosity satisfied, Kalicutt left and made his way back to the room he had set up as his temporary office in the mayor's residence. Anakin heard the door close a moment later.   
The Padawan looked up and down the hallway, momentarily, then slowly fumbled his way through the rest of the sequence. When all was said and done, he had made reservations to get three people to Viffidas.   


*Part two of chapter three coming soon...* 


End file.
